The Continued Adventures of the Doctor's Daughter
by princess-katie
Summary: Third in a series. The Doctor has lost Rose but still has his daughter, Lily. Lily still suffers from the loss of her lover, Captain Jack Harkness, although a series of events means he might not be as far away as she thinks. Set in series 3.
1. Introduction

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**Author's Note: This is a sequel to **_**The Adventures of the Doctor and his Daughter**_**, and **_**The Next Adventures of the Doctor and his Daughter**_** which are both available on my profile incase anyone hasn't read them and wants to. **

**This is set just after the end of the second series and starts with Smith and Jones, missing out the Runaway Bride, thouhg there are references to it.**

**This first chapter is just an introduction from Lily's point of view to explain things briefly, but everything after this will be in 3rd person and will be the proper story.**

Chapter One

I don't know how much you know about me, but my name is Lily, and I'm probably the strangest people you'll ever meet. Unless you've already met my dad, in which case I'll be the second strangest.

You see, while most people my age - at least, my physical age of about 24 - live on Earth, get up, go to work, come home, eat chips, watch telly and go to be, I travel in time and space. I live in the TARDIS, and I can go anywhere I want, any time I want.

I travel with my Dad - you might have heard of him, he's the Doctor. A 900 year old Time Lord - last male time lord, actually. After the time war, there's just the two of us. Time Lords have this trick where we can change our bodies when we're dying, which is why we live so long. Dad says we get 12 regeneration - 13 bodies - though that's not set in stone. He's in his tenth now, and he looks about 36, so when we go to Earth and the humans start getting nosy, we tell them we're uncle and niece or brother and sister.

As for me, I'm still in my first regeneration, and I'm about 202, 203 - it's hard to keep track of time when you're messing about all over it. I've been travelling around in the TARDIS with Dad (and the occasional companion - usually an Earth girl) for as long as I can remember, and we get into a ridiculous amount of trouble, though it's always fun. I sometimes find it unbelieveable that I've managed to get so far without regenerating - it's probably because my Dad is so protective all the time.

All the time travelling has always been fun, but it went wrong a while back.

First it went a lot wrong, and then recently it got a lot wrong all over again.

Dad and I were travelling on our own when we met Rose in London, 2005. Straight away we got on really well with her - she was friendly, funny and just really nice. She's so easy to get on with and we quickly became friends. Dad and Rose got on really well too - as we travelled, it became clear that they're perfect for each other, even if they didn't do anything about it.

Rose started travelling around with us and we saw all sorts - Face of Boe, Gelth, Nanogenes, gas mask people, Slitheen, Daleks and that damned Game Station. I was feeling a bit like a gooseberry with those two gettin closer but then I met him.

He was the man who changed my life.

He's the one who made me forget the troubles of a time lord/lady being in love with a human (although I _did _once marry a human, but it didn't last. Will got someone else pregnant and had to marry _her.)_

He's the first man I ever really fell in love with, and I know I'll never love anyone else.

Captain Jack Harkness, his name is. Was. There I was, hanging from a barrage balloon in the middle of the 1941 Blitz, when a dashing Captain saved me and took me to his ship. We slow danced to Glenn Miller and drank champagne on a space ship tethered to Big Ben. He was a conman but he started travelling with us, and then he changed.

He was all flirty with me, but he was the kind of man who flirted with everyone who moved. We got closer and closer and one day we kissed. No-where special, it was just in Cardiff, by the bay. And there was champagne.

I had doubts but one night in the swiming pool was all it took get rid of those worries, and then we were together.

It lasted four months, but in those months we were closer than I'd ever thought I could be with anyone. Rose and Dad didn't know about it, but it was working for us, and those months could be the happiest of my life.

But then it went wrong, of course. It just had to didn't it?

We ended up on some sick game station where Daleks were taking people away. I've always been more afraid of Daleks than most other aliens, but now I just hate them, because they took away Jack. And Rose, too, I suppose.

The Daleks invaded the Game Station and Jack ended up on a different floor. We knew it was a hopeless situation and we said a goodbye, but he was adamant that we weren't going to get split up. He promised me it wasn't the end, and I believed him because i didn't want it to be the end. He got killed by them, and I wasn't there when he died. I got there not long after he died, but it was too late. I held him in my arms and told him I loved him - first time I'd ever told him that and he didn't even hear.

The Daleks got finished off when Rose absorbed the Time Vortex and killed them all, before Dad took away the Time Vortex and had to regenerate. That didn't change the fact that Jack died though, and I'll never see him again.

I tried to make Dad take me back to at least get the body, or to take me back to just before he died so I could save him, but he said he couldn't - too many risks of landing in the wrong place and all that. Dad made me leave Jack's body behind to rot on some Game Station and I hated that but after a while I've had to get used to it. Doesn't mean I don't love Jack just as much as I did then, though.

Dad found out about me and Jack just before we landed on the Game Station and he didn't like the idea. Convinced that Jack would hurt me, and the relationship was no good, but I didn't care. I think now he's seen me grieve he knows how much I loved Jack, and maybe he accepts it more - I don't know.

It took a while for me to even think about moving on with my life, because I didn't want to have a life without him. After a while - after all the hurting and all the pain - I realised that Jack wouldn't want me to mope around - Jack always wanted me to be happy. I decided that I should carry on with my life and try to make the most of it, to make Jack proud of me, if he was up there in heaven or whatever, looking down at me.

It's been hard of course, and I'm still so upset that I lost him - I'm not complete any more. But we carried on travelling around without him, and after a while it hurt a tiny bit less.

We went to a bunch of other places and though I missed him like mad, I had to carry on.

We went to New Earth, saw the Face of Boe again, and we even met up with Sarah Jane again. That was fun, to catch up with her, and I got to be an English teacher for a while. We went to a parallel universe where I met a parallel version of Jack - thrilled at first, but it turned out that in the parallel world, he was married to some guy called Ianto. Typical.

Couple more adventures and we ended up back in London - this only a few weeks ago - where everything went very, very wrong again.

Long story short, we ended up at Torchwood One - a place where they scavenged bits of alien technology and stuff. Horrible place really. They'd captured this big ark and there were ghosts too. Only, the ghosts turned out to be Cybermen and inside the ark were millions of damned Daleks.

We met those from the parallel universe again, and Dad said he'd have to open the void and send everything there. But we were all covered with void stuff, so me, him and Rose clamped ourselves to the wall while the void opened.

Rose lost her grip, and I couldn't reach her, so she fell.

At the last minute, her parallel dad came along and took her back to the parallel world, where she's now trapped forever. But at least she has Mickey, and her mum and dad. Only thing is, she doesn't have us - she doesn't have the Doctor.

Dad managed to get through to her with this projection thing and they said their goodbye. She told him she loved him, but he didn't have time to say it back, which I think is tragic.

He's broken now.

Rose was everything to him and he's not the same without her.

When she was gone, he hugged me and cried - I've never seen him like that. He's putting on a brave front now, and he's trying to be all cheerful and normal, just like he was before, but he's not the same at all. He doesn't want me to see him like that, but I know. I'm gutted too, because she was my friend, but it's nowhere near how he is.

So it's just me and him again.

Straight after losing Rose, we met this woman. Brilliant woman really - even if she's mental. She just showed up in the TARDIS, transported there on her wedding day. She was completey freaked out by the idea of us being aliens and she was really funny. Donna, her name is. Once we'd sorted her out and got her back on Earth and all safe, Dad asked her to come with us. She said no, but she told us that we need someone else to travel with us.

She says we need someone to stop us from going mental, and to look after us both. It might have been nice if she'd come with us.

Problem is, I've lost Jack and I'll never be the same again. He's lost Rose and he's not complete without her.

I'm not completely without hope though. You see, I once met this man - actually, I met him first in the parallel universe, and he was really friendly, despite the fact he was parallel Jack's husband in that world. He was nice and polite and everything, and he told me something quite handy.

I met the actual Ianto Jones from this world too - just after the whole Canary Wharf thing was over. He was in the rubble and I helped him out and had a quick conversation with him.

Anyway, he told me that everything will be ok in the end, because if it's not ok, then it's not the end.

Let's just hope that's true.

I've started using Jack's surname instead of the surname I usually use. Smith has been replaced with Harkness, as a tribute to him, and I think it works.

At first, it was just something I said, but now I think I'm used to it. Lily Harkness. Not that Jack and I were ever actually married - we were no-where near that. Jack's not really the marrying kind, but it doesn't stop me from wishing.


	2. Smith and Jones

**Disclamer: I own nothing**

**Author's Note: Here we are - beginning of series three. **

Chapter Two

" I'm telling you," the Doctor told Lily as the pair of them stood in the TARDIS' console room, " I'm getting some really odd readings from that hosptial and I can't put my finger on it. Something's happening in there - or _is _going to happen. "

" Then we find a way in? " Lily asked, " psychic paper? "

He shook his head, " Oh no. We want to get into that hospital and we're going to do it the way most people do. No-one would suspect a patient of snooping around. "

Lily rolled her eyes, " So you're going to put yourself in hospital. Or put me in hospital? "

" Don't be ridiculous," the Doctor said, shaking his head, " I'm not putting _you _in hospital. I'm going to get admitted to hospital and you can get in by being my visitor. You can be ... you choose. Sister? Niece? Cousin? "

" I'll be the niece," she said, " I'm fed up of being your sister - it looks stupid when you're my brother but you're bossing me around and treating me like a kid. "

" Some brothers act like that," the Doctor shrugged.

" Well today I'm your niece," Lily said, " though I can't help wishing you looked old enough to be my dad - it's all less confusing then. One day you're going to regenerate, and I'm going to regenerate and you'll end looking ten years younger than me. "

" We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," the Doctor shrugged, " now how about we get to this hospital? "

*****

The Doctor was admitted to the hospital that afternoon and spent the entire day in bed, Lily by his side for as long as she could be, though she had to leave overnight and go back to the TARDIS - as reluctant was the Doctor was to let her go.

The next day, Lily was cheerfully arranging some flowers in a vase, while the Doctor lay in bed in his striped pajamas. Lily was wearing her staple outfit - black jeans, short ankle boots, a dark shirt and a long black trenchcoat which reached the ground.

" I don't know why you bothered with flowers," the Doctor said, " there's only you visiting me. "

" Don't be so miserable," Lily told him, " flowers brighten the whole place up. They look lovely. It's nice to make everything look cheerful. "

" And this coming from the woman who's worn all dark colours for months? " the Doctor replied.

" Careful what you say," Lily warned him, " or I might come over there and pour the contents of this vase over your head. You'll like the flowers a hell of a lot less when you're wearing them. "

" When did you get so mouthy again? " the Doctor asked, " I thought we'd outgrown that whole phase. "

" We have," Lily replied, " this is just ... banter. "

There were footsteps outside the cubicle and the curtain was pulled back, revealing a Doctor and a handful of medical students. Lily turned away from the flowers and leant again the drawers with a smile.

" Now then, Mr Smith," the medical consultant - Mr Stoker - said, " good morning to you. Good morning Miss. How are you feeling, Mr Smith? "

" Oh, you know," the Doctor - currently using the alias of John Smith - shrugged, " still a bit, you know. Blah. "

Lily grinned but quickly tried to hide it.

Mr Stoker turned back to the medical students, " This is Mr John Smith, admitted yesterday with severe abdominal pains. Jones, why don't you see what you can find? Amaze me. "

A young woman, about 25, dark skinned, with thick black hair, stepped forwards, looking at the Doctor, " That wasn't very clever, running around outside, was it? "

Lily and the Doctor exchanged a confused look.

" What? " the Doctor asked, shaking his head.

The young medical student added, " On Chancey Streey this morning. You came up to me and took your tie off. " She looked at Lily, " you were there too. "

" What did I do that for? " the Doctor asked, raising his eyebrow, as Lily rolled her eyes - time travel. Completely messed your time line up - stuff happening in any order.

" I don't know," the woman replied, " you just did. "

" Not me," the Doctor told her with a simple smile, " I was here in bed. Ask the nurses. Ask my beautiful niece here. "

" Well, that's weird," the woman said, " it looked just like you - you don't have a brother? "

" It's just me," replied the Doctor truthfully.

Mr Stoker sighed and Lily's attention was distracted from this strange young woman who she wanted to know more about as the man said, " As time passes, I grow more infirm and weary, Miss Jones. "

Miss Jones The Medical Student nodded, " Right, sorry. " She put a stethoscope to the Doctor's chest, and Lily watched carefully, knowing what was going to happen, and waiting to see what the woman's reaction would be. Sure enough, Lily was - though no-one else could see - the woman look at the Doctor in confusion and move the stethoscope to the other side of his chest, before staring up at him. He just winked at her.

Mr Stoker tutted, " Are you having trouble locating the heart, Miss Jones? "

" Um ... I don't know," the young woman said, " stomach cramps? "

"That is a symptom, not a diagnosis," pointed out the man, " and you rather failed basic techniques by not consulting first with the patient's chart. "

He picked up the chart, only to recieve an electric shock and drop it.

" That happened to me this morning," the young student said.

" I had the same thing on the lift," another young woman said.

" And me," a young man nodded.

" That's only to be expected," Mr Stoker said," There's a thunderstorm on the way, and lightening is a form of static electricity, as was first proven by ... anyone? "

" Benjamin Franklin," supplied the Doctor cheerily.

" Correct! "

" My mate Ben," the Doctor grinned, referring to a time when he'd met the man in question, " that was a day and a half. I got rope burns off that kite, and then I got soaked. And then I got electrocuted. "

Mr Stoker stared at him as if he were mental - which he was, really - and muttered, " Moving on. " Lily also heard him add quieter, " I think perhaps a visit from the psychiatric. "

When the group had left, Lily sat down in the chair beside the bed the Doctor lay in. " You know," Lily said, shaking her head at him, " you really shouldn't say things like that in front of the humans - 'specially not when we're in a hospital. They'll send a shrink down here and then where will _I _be? "

" You know me - mouth runs away with me. We'll have left here soon, anyway I think. There's only so long I can pretend to have stomach ache before they realise there's nothing wrong with me," the Doctor told her.

" What about that girl? " Lily asked, " she knows you've got two hearts. "

" She won't say anything," the Doctor assured her, " no-one would believe her - they'd all think she was a stupid student who didn't know anything. Shame really - humans are so disbelieving. "

There was a pause before Lily said, " I could be a doctor, you know. I know more than any of these doctors around here. "

" That's what time travel does for you ... that and having me for a dad," the Doctor grinned as Lily reached over to swat his arm, calling him vain.

Their teasing each other was interrupted when the entire building suddenly shook violently. It shook for a long moment before stopping. There were screams outside in the corridors, and Lily stood up at once.

" I'll find out what's going on," she told the Doctor.

Before he could reply, she was gone. She hurried to the window and her eyes widened when she saw what was there - the Earth that should be outside the window was gone, and in its place was a completely different surface.

They were on the moon.

Lily's breath caught in her throat as she stared out there - the moon was beautiful. But they shouldn't be there.

The doors of the ward flew open and the young dark skinned medical student was back, along with a young male student.

" All right, back to bed everyone! " the woman - Miss Jones, Lily thought Mr Stoker had called her - shouted, " we've got an emergency but it's all being sorted out! "

Both students came to the window, stopping not far away from Lily.

" It's real," Miss Jones said, " It' really real. "

She opened the window, and the young man sobbed like a baby, " Don't! We'll lose all the air and we'll all die! "

" Don't be such a baby," Lily sighed, catching the attention of both of them, " there's plenty of air. "

" Yeah," Miss Jones said, pondering it as she looked out of the window, " these windows aren't exactly air tight. If the air was going to get sucked out, it would have happened straight away, but it didn't. So how come? "

" Very good point! " the Doctor called, pulling away the curtain of his cubicle and striding towards them, now wearing his blue suit, " Brilliant in fact - what's your name? "

" Martha," the woman said.

" And it was Miss Jones, wasn't it? " the Doctor asked, " Well then Martha Jones, the question is, how are we still breathing? "

" We can't be," Martha replied, shaking her head.

" Don't be dense," the Doctor said, " we obviously _are _breathing. Martha, what have we got here? Is there a balcony on this floor, or a veranda, or something? "

" By the patients lounge, yeah," Martha nodded.

" Fancy going out? " the Doctor asked, raising his eyebrows.

" Okay," Martha said.

Lily was impressed by how readily Martha would come with them even though she had no idea what was going to happen next. Some initative - that was quite handy in a companion really, even if it was for one quick (hopefully) trip to the moon.

" We might die," Lily warned her.

" We might not," Martha replied simply, making Lily grin in the mad way that only she and the Doctor seemed to have.

" Good! " the Doctor grinned, " c'mon Martha Jones, Lily. "

The Doctor reached out one hand towards Lily and grasped her hand in his, determined that she would stay close to him and wouldn't be in any danger. Lily was always a little reluctant at first to be handed around like a child, but she didn't argue because she could hardly ever win an argument with him.

Martha led the pair of them to the patients lounge and to the doors. She looked back at them and hesitated for a moment before pushing the doors open, where all three of them stepped out onto the balcony.

The Doctor dropped Lily's hand and the three of them stood and looked out to the rest of the moon.

" We've got air! " Martha exclaimed, " how does that work? "

" Just be thankful it does," the Doctor said darkly.

"I've got a party tonight," Martha said with a little shrug, " it's my brothers 21st. My mother's going to be really ... " her voice cracked a little, " really ... "

" You okay? " the Doctor asked.

" Yeah. "

" Sure? " Lily prompted.

"Yeah," Martha repeated.

" Want to go back in? " the Doctor asked, to which Martha shook her head.

" No, of course not," she said stubbornly, " I mean, I know we could die at any given moment, but it's so beautiful outside. "

" You think? " Lily asked, slightly amused at Martha's outlook on life - it was fairly admirable - who cared about life threatening things so long as they got to see nice things along the way.

" How many people get to go to the moon? " Martha smiled, " and here we are. What do you think happened? How did we get here? "

" What do _you _think? " the Doctor asked curiously.

Martha had an answer right away, " Extraterrestrial. It's got to be. I don't know, a few years ago, that would have sounded mad, but these days? That spaceship flying into Big Ben the other year - that spaceship over Christmas - those Cybermen things. I had a cousin. Adeola. Worked at Canary Wharf. She never came home. "

" I'm sorry," the Doctor said carefully.

" Yeah," Martha muttered.

" We were there," Lily said, " at the battle. Saw it all. Awful. "

Martha quickly changed the subject, " I promise you, Mr Smith - Mrs Smith? "

Lily laughed, " You think we're married? Oh god no - I'm his niece. "

Martha blushed, " Sorry - but I promise you, we will find a way out. If we can travel to the moon then we can sure as hell travel back. There's got to be a way. "

" Yeah," the Doctor said, " about that ... I'm not Smith - that's not my real name. "

" Who are you then? " Martha asked, looking from one to the other in confusion.

" I'm the Doctor," he replied simply.

Martha laughed, " Me too, if I can pass my exams. What is it then, Doctor Smith? "

" Just the Doctor," he replied.

Martha shook her head, " How do you mean, just the Doctor? "

" Just ... the Doctor," the Doctor replied, unable as always to understand why people couldn't just leave it at that.

" People call you "the Doctor"? " Marha asked, as if it were the most stupid thing she'd heard of.

" Yeah," the Doctor said.

" Well, I won't," Martha told him, much to his suprise, " As far as I'm concerned, you've got to earn that title," she turned to you," and what about you? What's your title? "

" None for me, I'm afraid," Lily said, " time war got in the way, so I didn't get chance to attend the academy long enough - didn't get to the stage of picking my name. I'm just Lily - or at least, that's the shortened version of my actual name. My real name is far too difficult for most people to pronounce, but it shortens nicely to Lily. "

" Don't mind her," the Doctor said, cutting across his daughter with a smile at Martha, " she rambles sometimes - can't understand where she gets it from. Anyway, let me start earning my title. Let's have a look," he picked up a pebble and threw it across the moon, " there must be some sort of forcefield keeping all of the air in. "

Martha nodded, " But if that's some kind of bubble sealing us in, that means this i the only air we've got. What happens when that runs out? "

" Trouble," Lily replied.

" How many people are in this hospital? " the Doctor asked.

" I dunno," Martha said, stopping to thinking about it, " a thousand, maybe? "

" One thousand people," the Doctor repeated slowly, " suffocating. "

" Why would anyone do that? " Martha asked quietly.

" Head's up! " the Doctor said, suddenly louder, " ask them yourself. "

They watched as several big ships landed on the surface of the moon, and rhino like creatures dressed in black leather marched towards the building.

" Judoon," the Doctor said, lifting his chin up.

Hurrying back inside, the Doctor keeping an eye on both Martha, Lily and everything around them, they hurried to the top of the stairs, hiding behind some large potted plants, where they could see what the Judoon were doing downstairs.

They annoucned that they were going to catalogue everyone, and advanced on different people, shining blue lights on them, checking their species and marking them with a cross, each saying "Human" on.

" Oh look down there," the Doctor said quietly, pointing across the ground floor, " you've got a little shop. I _do _like a little shop. "

" Not the time or the place," Lily said, nudging him, " well ... I suppose it's not the time, though it might be the place ... what other place would you find a gift shop in a hospital, than a hospital? "

" Never mind this," Martha said, shaking her head, " what are Judoon? "

" Galactic police," the Doctor supplied," well ... more like police for hire. More like interplanetary thugs. "

" And they brought us to the moon? " Martha asked.

" Neutral territory," the Doctor said, " according to galactic law, they've got no jurisdiction over Earth, and they isolated us. That rain? Lightening? That was them. "

" What this _galactic law? " _Martha asked, shaking her head, " where'd you get that from? And if they're police, are we under arrest? Like for trespassing on the moon, or something? "

" No," Lily said.

The Doctor nodded, " That's good thinking though. No, they're making a catalogue, and it means they're after something non-human, which is bad news for me and Lily. "

" Why? " Martha asked.

The Doctor and Lily both looked at her.

" You're kidding me," Martha scoffed, in disbelief.

In unison, they raised their eyebrows.

" Alright, stop looking at me like that," Martha said, " I get it. But you're being ridiculous. "

" You think? " the Doctor tested, " now, c'mon. "

As they ran away, the Doctor explained that they needed a computer because he needed to check something. Martha led them to an office where there was a computer that was plenty good enough.

The Doctor examined it with his sonic screwdriver while Lily looked over his shoulder and Martha watched curiously.

" They've reached the third floor," Martha told them, " and what's that thing? "

The Doctor replied, " Sonic screwdriver. "

"Well," Martha scoffed, " if you're not going to answer me properly, then I won't bother asking you questions, shall I? "

" No, but it really is," insisted the Doctor, " It's a screwdriver, and it's sonic. "

"Yeah alright," Martha laughed, " and what else have you got? A laser spanner by any chance? "

Lily grinned and reached into her pocket before pulling out a small thin object that she loved and holding it up in the air, " No, but I have! "

The Doctor supressed a smirk and suddenly hit the computer, " Oh, this computer! The Judoon must have locked it down. Judoon platoon upon the moon. Cause I was just travelling past, I swear, I was just wandering, honestly I wasn't looking for any trouble. Then I noticed these plasma coils around the hospital , building up for a few days, so I checked in because I thought something was going on inside. Turns out the plasma coils were the Judoon, up above. "

" But what are they looking for? " Martha asked in confusion.

" Something that looks human but isn't," answered the Doctor.

" What, like you two? " Martha asked.

" Like us," Lily agreed, " but not us. "

" Haven't they got a photo of it? " Marha asked.

" It might be a shape changer," the Doctor told her.

" Whatever it is," Martha sighed, " why can't you just leave the Judoon to find it? "

Lily laughed, " Becuase he can never leave well enough alone. Oh, and also because if the Judoon declare the hospital guilty of harbouring a fugitive, they'll sentence it to execution. "

" All of us? "

" Oh yes," the Doctor sighed, " If I can find this thing first ... Oh! They're thick! Judoon are thick! They're completely thick! They wiped the records ... ooh, that's clever. "

Martha shook her head at him, thinking he was mental, and asked," What are we looking for? "

" Oh, I don't know - any patient admitted in the last week with unusual symptoms. Maybe there's a back up," the Doctor said.

" I'll go ask Mr Stoker," Martha suggested, " he might know. "

When Martha had left the room, Lily stole a glance at her Dad and then looked back at the computer. She waited a moment before asking, " So, Martha Jones ... what do you think? "

The Doctor didn't look at her as he kept working, " What do you want me to think? "

Lily shrugged, " I don't know ... just ... wondered what you think of her? "

The Doctor straightened up and looked down at his daughter. He looked at her carefully, trying to figure out what she wanted from him, and then it clicked when he saw the look in her eyes. It was the same sort of discussion they had every time they met someone new who they really got on with.

" Lils," he said, using the name that only he ever called her, " I promise you that it's still you and me. No-one's replacing Rose ... " he paused and reached out to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, " and no-one could _ever _replace how special you are to me. " He removed the hair and let it fall on her cheek, " and ... and no-one's replacing your mother. You're so much like her sometimes. "

Lily nodded and he dropped his hand with a smile. They hardly ever spoke about her mother.

" I'm sorry," she muttered, " I'm being stupid. "

" Of course you're not," the Doctor replied, before Martha burst into the room, interrupting them.

" I've restored the back up," the Doctor told her happily.

" Yeah, and I found what the Judoon want," Martha replied.

" You what? " the Doctor asked, shaking his head. Then he saw them - Slabs. Sort of henchmen to whatever the Judoon were looking for, " Run! " the Doctor cried, grabbing Lily's hand with one hand and taking Martha's with the other.

They ran down the corridor, the Slabs following them. They ran as fast as they could, sticking together and they headed for the stairs. The Judoon were coming up the steps towards them and the Doctor dodged out into a doorway that led to another corridor, pulling Martha and Lily with him.

They were running down the corridor, with the Slabs hot on their tails. They skidded around a corner and were hurtling towards a radiology room.

The Doctor hurried them all into the radiology room and slammed the glass door behind them, in the face of the slabs.

" When I say now," he said, lookin over his shoulder, " press the button. "

" Which button? I don't know which one," Martha said.

" Find out! " the Doctor said, sticking his sonic screwdriver in some of the machinery, while Martha hurried for the Operator's Manual.

" Now! " the Doctor yelled as the Slabs broke down the door.

" Which one? " Martha cried.

" This one," Lily shrugged, hitting a big red button, " red is good - it's usually red buttons. "

The Doctor turned to the Slabs and zapped them with something, green rays shooting at them, their skeletons visible, before they fell to the ground, dead. Lily looked at them and then at the Doctor.

"What was that? " Martha asked quietly.

" I increased the radiation by 5000 percent. Killed them dead," he replied proudly.

" Won't that kill _you? " _Marth asked.

" He'll be fine," grinned Lily.

" It's only radiation," the Doctor agreed, " we used to play with roentgen blocks in nursery. I've absorbed all of the radiation, and all I need to do now is expel it." He started hopping on one foot and then the other, " If I concentrate, I can shake the radiation out of my body and into one spot. It's in my left shoe now. here we go ... here we go," he shook his foot quickly, " out, out, out, get out. Out, out, ow, ow, ow, ah - it is, it is, it is hot! Ah, hold on! "

He reached down and yanked the shoe of his foot and threw it in the dustbin.

" Done. "

" You're completely mad," Martha said, shaking her head.

" All the best people are," Lily shrugged.

" She's right though," the Doctor nodded, " I look daft with only one shoe on. " And with that, he removed and threw away his over shoe, " There! Barefoot on the moon! "

Lily meanwhile, was looking over at the Slab when Martha caught the way she was looking and asked what the slab was, and where it was from.

Lily told the other woman, " It's just a slab. They're called "Slabs." Basic slave drones, see. Solid leather all of the way through - someone has one hell of a fetish. "

" It came with that woman - the one they're looking for - Miss Finnegan. It's like her servant," Martha said.

The Doctor wasn't listening, as he pulled the broken remains of his sonic screwdriver out of the x-ray machine and looked at it sadly, " My screwdriver! "

" She was one of the patients," Martha continued.

"My sonic screwdriver! "

" She had a straw like some kind of vampire," Martha said, as Lily listened but the Doctor did not.

" I loved my screwdriver! " he moaned.

" I'll buy you a new one, for God's sake," Lily sighed.

" It won't be the same. "

" Doctor! " Martha snapped, catching his attention. He apologised and tossed aside his screwdriver, turning to her. Then he grinned and said in a self satisfied way, " You called me Doctor! "

Martha shrugged, " Yeah ... anway! Miss Finnegan is the alien. She was drinker Mr Stoker's blood. "

Lily scoffed, " That's a bit ironic ... Mr Stoker ... Bram Stoker ... Dracula ... "

The Doctor rolled his eyes at his daughter, " You know as well as I do that Bram Stoker stole the whole Dracula thing off that dream I told him I had ... I should have got some money out of that, but he stole the idea ... anyway, funny time for a snack. You'd think she'd be hiding. Unless ... no! That's it. Yes! No! Shape changer! Internal shape changer. She wasn't drinking blood - she was assimilating it. "

" Oh," Lily said as she understood it, " if she can assimilate Mr Stoker's blood, mimic the morphology, she can register as human. We've got to find her, right? "

" And show the Judoon," confirmed the Doctor.

Martha looked at Lily, and asked her curiously, " How do you know so much? You can't be any older than I am, and you know all this stuff. "

Lily shrugged, " I'm older than I look ... what can I say? I mosturise. "

" No time," the Doctor said, cutting the conversation short, " c'mon! "

They left the room and hurried off down the corridor, until they saw Slabs at the end of the corridor, and had to hide behind a large water cooler. They stayed there out of sight, peeking at the Slabs.

" That's the thing about Slabs - they always travel with their partners," the Doctor told Martha.

" What about you? " Martha asked a bit louder, as the Slabs walked away.

" What about me what? " the Doctor asked.

" No partner? " Martha asked, " just you and your niece? "

" Yeah, about that ... " the Doctor said, looking at Lily and then back to Martha, " she's actually my daughter. "

Lily swatted her father's arm, " What is the point of pretending to be uncle and niece if you're just going to go around and tell everyone you're my Dad? "

" Ow," the Doctor said, rubbing his arm, " you do that again and you're grounded. "

Martha smiled at the pair of them, " I thought you were really alike ... but no, you can't be ... Doctor, you're not old enough, surely? "

" He's a hell of a lot older than he looks, too," Lily told Martha simply.

The Doctor shrugged, " Anyway - you're a bit nosy aren't you? We're stuck on the moon, running out of air with a platoon of Judoon and a bloodsucking criminal and you're asking personal questions. Come on. "

They stepped out from behind the water cooler only to be faced with Judoon.

One of them shone a blue light in the Doctor's face and said stiffly, " Non human. "

" Oh my God," Martha said, " you really _are. _" She looked at Lily, " then you are too. "

" Run! " the Doctor shouted.

They ran as fast as they could and Lily found herself wondering when the running would ever stop. The Judoon shot after them and they ran up a flight of stairs, Lily wishing she'd worn some shoes with a different heel on. The Doctor locked the door behind them and they turned into a corridor, where people were gasping for breath, falling to the ground.

" They've already done this floor," the Doctor noticed, " The Judoon are logical and just a little bit thick. They won't go back and check a floor that they've already checked. If we're lucky. "

" How much oxygen is there? " Martha asked, spotting the young male student she knew.

He shook his head, " Not enough for all of these people. We're going to run out. "

" How are you feeling? " the Doctor asked Martha, " you alright? "

" Me? " Martha asked, " Oh, I'm running on adrenaline. "

" Welcome to my world," the Doctor nodded.

" What about the Judoon? " Martha asked," they won't run out? "

" No," Lily answered," great big lung reserves. It won't slow them down - to Mr Stoker's office? "

They entered the office in silence, and Martha folded her arms in exasperation when they found the room empty, " But she was here! She's gone! "

Mr Stoker was laying on the floor, his skin deadly pale. The Doctor knelt by his side and examined him before announcing, " Drained him dry. Every last drop - she's a plasmavore. "

" What if she gets someone else? " Lily asked, staring at Mr Stoker's body in horror.

The Doctor stood up, " No-one else will die - we're going to stop her. " He was against dead if it could be stopped, and knew that Lily was the same. Ever since Jack had died, she had been very strongly against any death that they could prevent.

"What's she doing on Earth? " Martha asked.

" Hiding. On the run," the Doctor said, " Like Ronald Biggs in Rio de Janeiro. What's she doing now? She's still not safe. The Judoon could execute us all. Come on. "

He led the girls back into the corridor, muttering to himself, " Think, think, think. If I was a plasmavore, surrounded by police, what would I do? " He noticed a MRI deperartment sign and nodded, " Ah, she almost as clever as me. Almost. "

" Find the non-human," Judoon voices called, " execute. "

The Doctor laid his hands on Martha's shoulders, " Stay here, because I need time. You're going to have to hold them up. " He turned to Lily, " and you - oh, I don't know. No, stay here. "

" But they'll find me and scan me, and - "

The Doctor pulled a marker pen from one of his many pockets and drew a large cross on the back of Lily's hand, " There. They'll think you've already been scanned, and they're too thick to check you again. " He stopped and looked at her, a strange look in his eyes. Lily wondered what he was thinking, and what he had planned.

The Doctor brought a hand to her cheek and then leaned in to plant a kiss on the top of her head, " I love you," he told her.

Lily frowned as he pulled away, " What're you doing that for? "

"Doing what? " he asked innocently, though the pained look in his eyes wasn't fooling her.

" You're saying goodbye," Lily said, shaking her head, " what're you doing that for? You're going to do something stupid, aren't you? "

He turned away and Martha asked, " How do I hold them off? "

He sighed and then put his hands on her shoulders again, " Martha, I'm sorry, forgive me for this - it's to save thousands of lives. It means nothing, honestly nothing. "

And with that, he planted a kiss right on her lips for a long moment and ran away.

" That was nothing? " a dazed Martha asked softly, staring after him.

Lily came to stand beside Martha, " I can't work out what he's up to," she said, " and I don't like that. "

Martha was still thinking about the kiss as she brought a hand to her lips and touched them lightly before asking Lily carefully, " So ... your mum isn't around, then? "

" Dead," Lily said simply, " and don't tell you're sorry, because you didn't know her. "

Martha had the grace to look a little guilty, and Lily was hit by a sudden anger. He had kissed Martha - but what about Rose? He was meant to be with Rose, and Rose was brilliant. Now this Martha was swooping in and trying to cover all that up.

" That kiss _was _nothing," Lily told Martha," it's best that you don't get your hopes up, because he loves someone else. "

Martha was slightly taken aback, but nodded silently. She paused, before saying, " It's ok, I get it. You don't want your Dad to get hurt. "

Lily shrugged, " I guess so. Oh, what the hell's he doing? This isn't good ... not good at all. Why can't he be normal? Ooh, what's he doing? "

The next moment, Judoon had entered the room.

" Find the non human," the Chief Judoon demanded, " find and execute. "

" Listen," Martha said quickly, " I know who you're looking for - it's a woman called Florence Finnegan. "

The Judoon looked at Lily and grunted, " Already checked," before turning to Martha and shining the blue light at her, " Human. With non-human traits suspected. Non human element confirmed. Authorise full scan - what are you? What are you? "

Martha looked uneasily at Lily, who suddenly realised why the Doctor's kiss was so important. She supposed that he'd kissed her so the Judoon would find the non human element and take her with them. Martha could then lead them to Miss Finnegan. It had to be Martha becuase Lily and the Doctor were full non-human, and would be exucuted at once.

The Judoon suddenly made a cross on Martha's hand, " Confirmed: human. Traces of facial contact with non-human. You have information about non-human. You will lead the search. "

" Hey," Lily called to the Judoon, " I know where the non-human criminal is too. I need to come with you. "

" You will both lead us to the non-human," the Chief Judoon said,

Martha and Lily stepped out in front of the Judoon and led the way to the MRI room. Martha entered first, closely followed by Lily, and then the Judoon.

Lily stopped dead when she saw what was going on. Miss Florence Finnegan had a straw to the Doctor's pale - too pale - skin, and dropped him to the ground when she saw the new people in the room.

"Now," she said, shaking her head at them, " see, this poor man just died of fright.

" Scanning him," the Chief Judoon said," confirmation: deceased. "

" He can't be! " Lily said, tears welling up in her eyes. She shoved past the Judoon and fell to her kneeds beside her Dad. Her hand flew to his neck and she checked for a pulse which was not there, whilst Martha told the Judoon that Miss Finnegan had killed the Doctor.

Tears fell down Lily's cheeks and she grabbed the Doctor at the shoulders, shaking him, trying to make him wake up - it was enough losing Jack. Then Rose. Dad was all she had left, and if he died, she was all alone. She needed him. He needed to regenerate! She shook him again, and when there was no response, she turned to the Judoon and poitned madly at Miss Finnegan.

" It's her! She's the criminal, but she's been taking human's blood to make her ... no, she drank all of his blood. She's not human! "

"Scan all you like," shrugged Miss Finnegan, who believed the Doctor to be an ordinary - if now dead - human.

" Non human," said the Juddon after a quick scan.

" Well that has to be a mistake," Miss Finnegan simpered, " I'm as human as they come. "

" He gave his life so they'd find you," Martha said to Miss Finnegan, before looking down at the Doctor sadly. Lily was there beside the Doctor and had one hand on his chest as she shook his shoulder and sobbed over him, pleading with him to not be dead.

"Confirmed: Plasmavore," the Chief Judoon said, " I charge you with the crime of murdering the princess of Patrival Regency Nine. "

" She deserved it! " Miss Finnegan insisted, " those pink cheeks and those blonde curls and that simpering voice. She was begging for the bite of mine. "

" You confess?" the Judoon asked.

"Confess? " Miss Finnegan laughed, " I'm proud of it! "

The Judoon grunted, " Verdict: guilty. Sentence: execution. "

The evil woman laughed, " Enjoy your victory, Judoon, because you're going to burn with me. Burn in hell! "

The Judoon disintegrated Finnegan, and she screamed as they killed her. Lily tried to block out the sound as she brought a hand to her dad's face, touching his cheek and trying to make him come around, to no avail.

The Judoon left.

Martha was babbling something about Finnegan doing something to the scanners - the scanners doing something strange - something bad about to happen - running out of oxygen. Lily wasn't listening to her.

" Dad! " Lily sobbed, stroking his cold cheek with her thumb, " Dad, you can't leave me. You've got ages ahead of you yet, and and you can't go off and leave me like this! Don't you dare die! " She wiped away her tears, though even more fell in their place, " how could you do something so stupid? I can't manage on my own! How could you? "

" Here," Martha said, kneeling beside Lily, " let me try and help. Maybe I can do something. "

Lily reluctantly released her grip on the Doctor and let Martha lay her hands on his chest and start resuscitation techniques, pumping up and down on his chest. " One, two, three, four, five," she counted as she pumped, " Two hearts! One, two, three, four, five."

Martha sighed, running out of oxygen, as the whole hospital had very little oxygen left. Martha slumped to the ground, weak, just as the Doctor revived and started to cough loudly.

Lily continued to sob, though this time with relief, as she threw her arms around her Dad and knocked him to the ground, throwing herself on top of him.

" Thank god," she sobbed, clinging to him as tight as she could," I thought you were dead! I thought you'd left me! I thought - "

" Shh, shh, shh," the Doctor said, stroking the back of her head, smoothing down her hair, " I'm fine, see? I'm not going anywhere. "

" Don't ever do that again," Lily said, " you scared the hell out of me! "

" Doctor - the scanners! " Martha wheezed, " she did something. "

The Doctor gently but firmly moved Lily away from him and got to his feet, coughing and spluttering, as he staggered to the MRI machine, and unplugged the thing.

" There," he sighed, leaning against the machine and trying to catch his breath.

" What now? " Lily whispered, as her tears stopped.

" We need a window," the Doctor said slowly, moving towards the door and then turning back to pull a weak Martha to her feet. When it became clear that she couldn't move much due to deprevation of oxygen, he leant down and picked her up, carrying her into the corridor in his arms, Lily following on behind.

In the corridor, patients and doctors alike were weak from lack of oxygen, and others unconsious, some dangerously close to death.

Lily stood next to her dad as they looked out at the Judoon ships, waiting for them to reverse it and send them home - once they were home everyone would be safe. Lily held her breath, hoping for the best.

Suddenly, the Doctor laughed and Lily saw that it was raining, and she too laughed.

"It's raining on the moon, Martha," the Doctor said as he looked down at Martha, " everything's gonna be alright! "

There was a bright white flash and then the hospital was back where it belonged.

The people who had no oxygen were now alright, and everyone rejoyced in being back. The Doctor set Martha on her feet and she looked up at him.

" Wow," she said quietly, " I went to the moon ... and you saved us all. "

The Doctor nodded, " It was my pleasure. "

Martha grinned but then her smile faded slightly, " I''ve got to go - I need to see my family. I was on the phone to my sister just before it happened - everyone will be worried. "

" You should be with your family," the Doctor nodded.

" Yeah," Martha agreed, still looking up at the Doctor, before shaking her head and repeating, " I've got to go ... "

It didnt feel right to any of them that she was leaving - it almost felt like there should be something _more _happening.

"It was nice to meet you, Martha Jones," Lily said.

Martha nodded, " You two, too," she said, before smiling and turning on her heel, running for the door. Both Lily and the Doctor watched her go, and when she was gone, the Doctor turned to his daughter, " Well, that's that done then. "

Lily didn't reply, but just threw her arms around him again, hugging him tightly, " Don't ever scare me like that again," she told him, " I thought you were dead. I thought I was going to be alone for the rest of my life. "

As a single tear fell down her cheek, the Doctor pulled away from her and wiped the tear away with his thumb, pulling a face at her, " We'll have none of those. Everything's fine. No tears here. "

Lily nodded and swallowed before saying, " Let's go home. "

They left the hospital, arm in arm, and outside they saw lots of people reuniting with their families and celebrating being back. They saw Martha standing with a woman they both assumed had to be her sister.

Martha spotted them and smiled. Lily waved as they passed and the Doctor nodded at her. They walked into the TARDIS, and when the Doctor shut the door behind them, Lily ran a hand through her hair.

"Well, I suppose that's that," she said, walking over to the console.

The Doctor nodded silently and set the controls, sending them jetting off into the time vortex. As they hurtled around space, Lily looked at the Doctor and he looked back.

" It was nice to have someone else around, for a change, wasn't it? " the Doctor asked.

Lily nodded, " Yeah. Martha's ... Martha's different. "

" Different to Rose you mean? " the Doctor asked - they had barely spoken about Rose since what had happened, just like they hardly ever mentioned Jack.

" Yeah," Lily said, " no-one's ever gonna be the same as Rose, but Martha was ... well, it was good to have someone else around ... you remember what Donna said? She said we need someone to look after us both, since we're both kind of incomplete. "

" Martha won't complete me," the Doctor said.

" I know," Lily said, " just like she won't complete me ... but ... "

The Doctor thought about it. Could they go back for Martha? Would she want to? Should they just leave her and move on? Maybe they did need someone else around. Things got out of hand with his new found rage at life for taking Rose away, and he needed someone to keep an eye on him. Lily was there, true, but it wasn't right because she was his daughter and sometimes he didn't bother listening to her.

" I suppose," the Doctor said after a moment, as he pulled down on a lever, " Martha saved my life ... we _owe _her. And all we have to give her is a trip. We maybe owe her one little trip. "

Lily nodded, " Yeah, I guess we do. "

With that, the Doctor pressed a few more buttons to get in there and find Martha - she'd mentioned the venue of her brother's party - they could find her there.

They took the journey in silence, contemplating what was going to happen next. When they landed, the Doctor left the TARDIS first, followed by Lily. They walked around the corner and didn't have far to go.

There in the street was the whole family, having an argument.

Martha's brother and sister were stood in the doorway of the pub the party was at, while Martha's dad chased his girlfriend down the street, trying to calm her down, and Martha's mum followed along shouting insults at the girlfriend. Martha herself was leaning against a wall just down from the pub, looking completely fed up.

She looked around and then noticed Lily and the Doctor standing at the end of the street. She smiled and followed him around the back of the building, to the alley way where the TARDIS had been left. The alley way was quite plain and murky with a Vote Saxon poster on one brick wall.

" I went to the moon today," Martha said, as Lily leant against the doors of the TARDIS and the Doctor stood there too.

" It was a bit more peaceful than down here," the Doctor said with a nod.

" You never even told me who the pair of you are," Martha said accusingly.

" I'm the Doctor, and she's Lily," the Doctor said simply.

" Yeah, but what sort of species? " Martha asked laughing a little, " not every day I get to ask that. "

" We're Time Lords," the Doctor said, before adding a little shrug, " well ... I suppose if you want to get technical about it, Lils could be a Time Lady, but the species is Time Lords. "

" Right," Martha nodded, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips," not pompous at all then. "

"I just thought," the Doctor said carefully, " we thought, that since you saved my life, and I've got a brand new sonic screwdriver that needs road testing, you might fancy a trip. "

" Where did the screwdriver come from? " Lily asked - she hadn't seen that anywhere.

The Doctor shrugged a little at her, " I found it under the console - forgot I'd got a spare one. Handy that. Anyway - Martha? "

" In space? " Martha asked.

" Well," Lily smiled, " could be. "

" I can't," Martha said, as if it were absurd, though Lily could tell that she really wanted to, " I've got exams. I've got things to do. I have to go into town first and pay the rent, I've got my family going mad ... "

" If it helps, I can also travel in time," the Doctor said, as though that solved everything.

" Don't be stupid! " Martha cried out.

"I _can," _the Doctor insisted.

" C'mon, that's going too far," said Martha, shaking her head in disbelief.

" Let's prove it," Lily said, "Ooh, can we prove it Dad? "

The Doctor said nothing, nudging Lily inside the TARDIS. He set the controls and Lily with excitement as he tok them back to later that day. He stopped it in the street and they both stepped out, right in front of Martha. The Doctor took off his tie.

The Martha from earlier that day looked at them as though they mental and walked away. The Doctor grinned at Lily and soon they were back in the TARDIS and going back to Martha in the alleyway.

Lily threw open the TARDIS door with a manic grin, and the Doctor stepped out, holding his tie in his hand.

Martha's jaw dropped and she shook her head, " But ... that was ... you took your tie off to me this morning. Did you - oh my god! You can travel in time! "

" Told ya! " Lily shrugged, turning to the Doctor, who was fiddling with his tie, which was now loosely around his neck. She rolled her eyes and took the tie in her hand, getting on her toes and fastening his tie for him, while Martha stared at them in amazement.

" So this is your spaceship?" she asked, as Lily straightened her dad's tie and then turned back to Martha.

" It's called the TARDIS," the Doctor explained, " Time and Relative Dimensions in Space. "

" Your spaceship's made of wood," Martha said, " there's not much room ... we'd be a bit close. "

" Guess again," Lily said, " have a look inside. "

The Doctor pushed the door open as an invitation and Martha peered inside ahead of them. She looked around and then ran out again, muttering, " No, no, no way. "

Lily watched in amusement as Martha tapped the exterior, " But it's just wood. It's made out of oood. But it's huge. It's just a box - how does it do that? "

Martha ran back inside and Lily and the Doctor followed, watching as Martha stared around the place in amazement, " It's like a box with this big room rammed inside. "

Lily was watching the Doctor, and they both mouthed Martha's next words silently, having heard so many other people say them, " It's bigger on the inside! "

When Martha turned back to the Doctor, the Doctor faked confusion, " Is it?! I hadn't noticed. Come on - let's get going. "

" Is there a crew? " Martha asked the Lily and the Doctor came to stand around the console, " like a navigator and stuff? Where is everyone? "

" Just us two," the Doctor said.

"All on your own," Martha said, " must get a little lonely. "

" Well, sometimes we have guests," the Doctor said, " I mean, some friends, travelling alongside. I had ... there was recently a friend of mine. Rose her name was, Rose, and - and we were together. Anyway, never mind that," he added.

Lily laid a hand on the Doctor's shoulder as he turned away.

" Where is she now? " asked Martha.

" With her family," the Doctor replied truthfully, " she's fine. " He turned around and pointed a finger at Martha sharply, " Not that you're replacing her. You're not replacing her, or anyone else. "

" Never said I was," Martha said simply, as Lily watched carefully. As nice as Martha seemed, Lily wanted to be on her guard - she didn't want anyone as a replacement for Rose. Martha could come with them, but she wasn't Rose. She was different.

" Just one trip to say thanks," the Doctor warned her, " you get one trip, and then back home. "

"Hey, you're the one that kissed me," Martha shrugged.

" That was a genetic transfer," the Doctor told her sharply.

Martha smiled mischeviously, " And if you will wear that tight suit ... "

"Stop it," warned the Doctor, pointing his finger at her again.

Martha shook her head, " For the record? I'm not remotely interested. I only go for humans. "

"Good," the Doctor said.

" Well then," Lily said, " time we got going, I think," she added, reaching for the control panel, meaning to pull down on one of the levers.

The Doctor swatted her hand out of the way and warned her, " Don't you dare - you'll kill us all. "

" I want to drive sometimes," she said, with a pout.

" But you're a dreadful driver, Lils," the Doctor told her, setting the controls himself.

As the TARDIS hurtled off, Martha laughed, " Blimey, it's a bit bumpy isn't it? "

The Doctor just reached across and shook her hand, " Welcome aboard Miss Jones. "

Martha shook his hand in return, " It's my pleasure, Mr Smith. " She turned to Lily and offered her hand out to her too, " Miss Smith. "

" Miss Harkness," Lily corrected.

***

**Author's Note: Thank you for the reviews so far. Especially thanks to **_**All-Stars **_**for giving me some ideas. **

**Also, just so I can start thinking about later on in the story, does anyone know much about the Master's history? There's a lot on wikipedia and places, but it's all very confusing, and I wondered if anyone knew anything simpler.**


	3. The Shakespeare Code

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**To Gahoole15: Yes, Alice in Wonderland reference - saw it not long ago and loved it!**

Chapter Three

" Harkness? " Martha asked, as the TARDIS tumbled through time and space, " where does that one come from? It's a bit more unusual than Smith ... I think I've heard it somewhere before actually ... "

Lily shrugged, trying not to think about it - think about him, " It's a long story. Got the name from someone I know. You wouldn't know him. "

The TARDIS jolted and Lily and Martha both grabbed the console to steady themselves. Lily could see that Martha's mind was moving too past to take in everything, and figure out what was going on.

" How does this even work? " Martha asked, grinning, " How do you travel in time? What makes it go? "

" Oh, let's take the mystery out of everything. Martha, you don't want to know. It just does. Hold on tight," the Doctor told her, practically climbing over the console as they travelled.

" If you still want to know before you go, I'll tell you later," Lily told their new friend quietly, though most of her offer was lost as they were both knocked to the ground.

"Blimey! " Martha cried, getting up to her feet, " do you have to pass a test to fly this thing? "

" Yes, and I failed it," the Doctor told her.

Lily glared at him, getting to her own feet, " You never told me that! " she said indignantly, " if you can fly it without a test, then I should be allowed to, too! "

The Doctor shrugged as he grabbed his coat, " I'm only trying to keep everyone alive, darling," he told her, before looking at Martha, " Now, make the most of this. I've promised you one trip and one trip only. "

He threw the door open and grinned broadly as he left the ship, " Brave new world. "

Martha followed him out, and Lily came last, closing the door behind her and pulling her trenchcoat around her. Lily smiled as she looked around, and saw the quaint Elizabethan streets, people dressed in old skirts and old clothes milling around. Lily smiled - nothing like a bit of history.

" You're kidding me," Martha laughed as they walked down the street together, " You are _so _kidding me. Oh, my god! We did it. We travelled in time. Where are we? No, sorry, got to get used to this whole new language? When are we? "

Suddenly and swiftly, the Doctor pulled Martha to one side and lily also jumped out of the way, as a man dumped a bucket into the street from a first floor window. Lily wrinkled her nose, remembering the time she'd lived in a time not so far away from here, and had a bucket like that.

" Mind the loo! " the man shouted.

" We're somewhere before the invention of the toilet," the Doctor told Martha as they moved back into the middle of the street, the three of them walking in a line, " sorry about that. "

" I've seen worse," Martha shrugged as if it were nothing, " I've worked the late night shift at A&E ... but are we safe? Can we really move around and stuff? "

" Of course we can - why do you ask? " the Doctor asked.

" It's like in the films, isn't it? " Martha said, thinking it through, " you step on a butterfly, you change the future of the human race. "

" Well, tell you what then," Lily shrugged, " don't step on any butterflies, then. Why would you want to anyway? What have butterflies ever done to you? "

" What if, I dunno, I accidently kill my own grandfather or something? " Martha asked.

" Are you planning to? " the Doctor asked.

" No. "

" Well, that's that then," the Doctor said, rubbing his hands together.

"And this is London? " Martha asked with a smile.

"Yep," the Doctor nodded, " right about 1599. "

Lily stopped in her tracks and the Doctor stopped to look at her in confusion, while Martha also looked confused. Lily looked at the Doctor as if he were mad, " You brought us to 1599? London 1599? You don't remember who's around in 1599? Imagine what problems that'd cause if we saw him. "

" Saw him? " the Doctor asked, " who d'you think I brought Martha here to see? "

" What if we see him? I mean, he knew there was something odd about us, but never knew exactly what we were? Time travellers and all that ... what if ... "

" Ah, relax," the Doctor said, waving his hand, " I thought I'd bring Martha on one little trip - we really can't boycott the place because you had to go and marry some guy. It's a great piece of history - it can't be avoided. He won't even see us, anyway. "

" Who? " Martha aked, confused.

" William Shakespeare," Lily said.

" Also known as my ex son-in-law," the Doctor added.

Martha's jaw dropped, " You're kidding? That's ... no way! You used to be married to Shakespeare? How is there no record of that ... how ... "

Lily shrugged, " It was before he was famous - he hadn't written anything by that point and he wasn't really the Shakespeare that got so great since. "

" You married him? "

Lily nodded, " He was 18, and I was going through a rebellious phase. Dad and I were in town for three days, and I went and married him. He was quite fun, and we had a laugh, even though we didn't see much of each other ... he was out during the day with his friends, and I was out sightseeing. Dad and me settled on Earth for a bit, but a few months later he'd gotten Anne Hathaway pregnant. He had to marry her and I left. "

" Wow," Martha said.

Lily shrugged, " It never would have worked anyway ... we were both kids. I was only about 150. " At Martha's shocked expression, she added, " oh ... right ... I haven't told you about that yet ... Time Lords have ridiculously long life spans. And before you ask, it wasn't love - we were young and rebellious. It was a very long time ago. "

" Anyway," the Doctor said, " let's just go ... he probably won't see you. And it's been about 17 years since you last saw him - what are the chances he'll see you and think "that's my first wife ... but she looks no older. " And I look different now ... no, it'll be fine. "

Lily was happy enough and they started walking down the street again. Martha looked up at the Doctor, " Am I alright though? I'm not going to be carted off as a slave, am I? "

" Why would they do that? " the Doctor asked, oblivious.

" I'm not exactly white, in case you hadn't noticed," Martha said, rolling her eyes.

" I'm not even human," the Doctor pointed out, " Just walk about like you own the place - works for us. Besides, you'd be suprised. Elizabethan England, not so different from your own England. " He pointed, " recycling over there. "

Martha noticed a man shovelling manure.

" The world will be consumed by a flame! " shouted a preacher, with a small crowd gathered around him.

" Global warming," Lily nodded.

" And entertainment! " the Doctor grinned, " Popular entertainment for the masses. If I'm right, we're just down the river by the Southwark to ... " they turned a corner and he laughed, " oh yes, the Globe theatre! Brand new. Just opened. Through strictly speaking, it's not a globe, because it's a tetradecagon - 14 sides. Containing the man himself. "

" Shakespeare's really in there? " Martha asked, eyes widening.

The Doctor nodded, " Oh yeah. " He offered out his arm, " Miss Jones, care to accompany me to the theatre? " Martha took his arm and he offered the other to Lily, " my darling daughter? "

Lily slid her arm through his as they walked towards the theatre. Their silence was broken by the Doctor, " When you get home, you can tell everyone that you've seen Shakespeare. "

" Yeah," Martha nodded, " and then I'll get sectioned. "

Lily was excited as they walked into the Globe. The three of them got slightly strange looks from other people because of their clothes and the way they spoke, but other than that, they could move with the rest of the crowd. They stood in front of the stage, the people around them cheering and clapping.

Lily couldn't wait to see what was going to happen next - she was a little apprehensive about seeing Shakespeare again, but it would be brilliant to see him when he was successful, rather than how she'd seen him before.

Actors ran out onto the stage and the crowd cheered louder.

" This is amazing," Martha breathed, " just amazing! It's worth putting up with the smell. And hang on - those are men dressed as women. "

" London never really changes," the Doctor said.

" Where's Shakespeare then? " Martha asked, as they looked around, " I want to see Shakespeare. " She grinned and chanted, waving her fist in the air, " Author! Author! " She looked up at the Doctor, " do people shout that? Do they shout for the author? "

A man who was stood near them shouted, " Author! Author! "

Someone else shotued it and the chant seemed to spread across the entire room.

" They do now," the Doctor nodded.

The next moment, there was an even louder cheer, and Shakespeare was standing right there on the stage. He laughed and stood in the middle of the crowd, taking an exaggerated bow, and blowing kisses around the room.

" He's a bit different from his pictures," Martha said.

" Of course he is," Lily nodded, " I always thought he couldn't have turned out how those pictures made him look. He looks ... well, he was always handsome. " She was quite suprised by the well dressed man stood there, with his thick dark hair, good looking features, twinkling smile. He was a man now - when she'd been with him, he was short and rather on the skinny side.

" Genius," the Doctor said, " he's a genius. Let's see how the boy turned out. And we're gonna hear him speak. Always chooses the best words - some of his works, with just the best words. "

" Shut your big fat mouths! " Shakespeare cried as the crowd laughed and cheered for him.

The Doctor looked a litte disappointed, " Ah ... well ... "

"I don't know why you're suprised," Lily told her Dad, " you met the man ... lots of times ... hell, there was the time that you punched him. "

" Punched him? " Martha asked, suprised.

The Doctor shrugged, " I had every right to hit the man. He'd just married my baby girl. " He said it as though it was an every day occurance, and Lily found herself wishing that he wasn't so protective all the time ... even if it could be quite funny sometimes. Then she realised.

"I didn't mean that time," Lily said.

"Oh! " the Doctor nodded, thinking of the other time, " well ... I had every right that time too - he'd gotten my baby so drunk she couldn't remember who she was, and I spent the entire night holding hair back. "

Lily rolled her eyes, " It was our one month anniversary - we were celebrating, and then you went and broke his nose ... and I didn't meant that time either. "

Martha raised her eyebrows, realising how protective and watchful the Doctor was of his daughter.

The Doctor nodded, " Oh, right ... _that _time. To be fair, I had even more of a right _that _time. He'd just cheated on my baby girl and gotten some other woman pregnant. "

" I'm not a baby," Lily told her dad angrily.

The Doctor looked at her with a pout, " Oh now, don't say that ... you might not be a baby any more, but ... aw hell, you're _my _baby. "

Lily smiled and turned her attention back to the stage - Shakespeare had been entertaining the crowd and picking at them while the Doctor and Lily spoke. Now he said, " I know what you're all saying ... " Loves Labour's Lost" ... that's a funny ending isn't it? It just stops. Will the boys get the girls? Well, don't get your hose in a tangle, because you'll find out soon enough. "

" When? " a heckler called out.

"All in good time," Shakespeare said, waving his hand about, " you don't rush a genius. "

The crowd cheered and the great playwright took a deep, exaggerated bow, before straightening up all of a sudden, " When, you asked? Why, it will be performed tomorrow night! The premiere of my brand new play. A sequel, no less, and I call it "Loves Labour's Won! " "

The audience cheered loudly, and Lily couldn't resist giving a little clap too.

She was shocked when Shakespeare's eyes flitted across the theatre and rested on her before she had any time to look anywhere else. He glanced at her and looked away before something clicked on his face, and he looked back at her quickly, eyes fixed firmly on her face, refusing to move.

He mouthed her name, staring at her as though he'd seen a ghost. Well, he didn't know about the Time Lord thing ... he didn't know what was going on.

She couldn't resist giving him a little wink, before turning away, as the rest of the crowd started to move away. As she walked away, Lily couldn't believe she'd seen him again. She smirked, wondering what he was thinking now.

Then her thoughts were taken over by something else.

" I'm not an expert," Martha said, as they made their way out of the theatre, " but I've never heard of "Loves Labour's Won. "

" Exactly," Lily muttered.

" The lost play," the Doctor added, " It doesn't exist - only in rumours. It's mentioned in lists of his plays but never ever turns up. No-one knows why. "

" Have you got a minidisk or something? " Martha asked, " we could tape it. We can flog it. Sell it when we get back home and make a fortune. "

The Doctor stopped and looked at her, " No. "

" That would be bad? " Martha asked cluelessly.

" Yeah," the Doctor nodded.

" Well, how come it disappeared in the first place? " asked Martha curiously.

" Well," the Doctor said, " I was just going to give you a quick little trip in the TARDIS but I suppose we could stay a bit longer. "

" We gonna sleep in the TARDIS? " Lily asked.

The Doctor tutted as they got outside and strolled down the street, " That's no way to see what's going on, Lils. How about we stay in a real little inn? A proper Elizabethan place - fancy slumming it for the night? "

Lily shrugged, " I'm sure we could manage," she pointed to a building at the end of the road, " how about over there? "

As they walked, they saw Shakespeare go into the inn first.

The Doctor nodded, " He must be staying there - that's handy. We could do to talk to him about his play ... find out what's going on. Lily, ready to face the ex? "

She nodded, " Nothing to worry about. I suppose we could always con him into thinking that ... actually, no ... could just tell him the truth ... not as if he'd believe it anyway. Never mind me - think you could see him without punching him? "

Martha looked between the pair of them, " Why's he staying in an inn anyway? Doesn't he have a wife now and some kids? "

" All living back in the country," Lily said, " they live safely tucked away there while he's in the city doing his work. That's where me and him, lived - and Dad living down the road. Some run down old village - no where near as glamorous as mucky old London. "

When they got to the inn, the Doctor knocked on the door and swung it open, " Not interrupting, am I? Can I come in? "

Lily heard Shakespeare laugh, " Oh no, no, no - of course not. Come in, my boy - though no autographs, if you please. " Martha stepped through the door after him and Lily - still out of sight - heard the old flirt whistle, " Hey nonny, nonny, come and sit next to me. "

The Doctor and Martha went into the inn, and Lily heard Shakespeare make a comment about Martha's modern, fitted clothes. Still, Lily waited outside the inn, bracing herself. She took a moment to gather herself together and then put on her best grin.

She pushed the door open and leant against the doorway, " Well, hello there," she said with a mischevious smile.

Shakespeare was completely unaware of everything else as he turned to look at Lily, " Well, well, well. I thought I'd seen you in the theatre, but I told myself it couldn't be my Lilyflower. "

" Here I am," Lily nodded, walking forwards slowly as her old husband, from such a long time ago, stood to greet her.

" Never thought I'd see you again," Shakespeare said, " how are you? What're you doing these days - you must have your own family by now? What have you been doing with yourself? Are you here with these two? Where's your father, anyway? "

" One question at a time, sir," Lily told him, a mischevious smile still playing on her lips - they'd always had a mischevious sort of relationship.

Shakespeare looked at her, and suddenly frowned, " It's been over 15 years - how do you look exactly the same? You were ... you were about 20 years of age when we last met, and you look exactly the same. "

" I've got my secrets," she told him, " you on the other hand, look older. "

" Ah, but all the more handsome," Shakespeare shrugged, " come here, you! "

Lily smiled slightly and allowed him to engulf her in a warm hug, almost lifting her off her feet. She laughed and he planted a kiss in her hair, one of his hands wandering down to her waist.

She swatted his hand away and took a step backwards, " Mr Shakespeare! You're a married man! ... even if the harlot _did _steal you from me first ... and my father's in the room! "

Shakespeare looked around quickly and stared when he saw only one man in room. He regarded the Doctor for a moment and then looked back at Lily, " Where's your father then? "

The Doctor gave the bard a small wave, " Hi. "

" No," Shakespeare said, looking at the Doctor and then at Lily, " This man has a completely different face - a - a - this is a different man. Not a step-father? "

" Hardly, when you know my mother is dead," Lily said, shaking her head at him, " it's an incredibly long story, and I told him you wouldn't understand, but he insisted on coming to London 1599 anyway. "

Shakespeare looked uneasily at the Doctor, still unconvinced, until the Doctor nodded at the other man's nose, " That healed nicely, I see. Breaking it the first time was bad enough, but when I found out you'd cheated on Lils? Oooh, not good. "

Shakespeare took a step backwards, " It's you! "

" Yep! " the Doctor nodded, popping the P as he spoke, " don't worry though, what happened in the past stays in the past. You're a completely different man now, right? "

Shakespeare nodded, and about to turn his attention back to Lily when his eyes fell on Martha. He grinned and looked over at Lily, telling her, " You've certainly found a lovely friend, Lilyflower. Who is this delicious blackamoor lady? "

" What did you say? " Martha asked quietly.

"Isn't that a word we use nowadays? " Shakespeare asked," an Ethiop girl? A swarth? A Queen of Afric? "

" I can't believe I'm hearing this," Martha said, shaking her hair.

" Martha's from a faraway land," the Doctor said quickly, " Freedonia. "

" Excuse me! " a man called - the man who seemed to be in charge of the Globe, or of Shakespeare's works, as he came in and adressed Shakespeare right away, " Hold hard a moment - this is abdonimal behaviour. A new play without warning? I demanded to see a script, Mr Shakespeare. As Master of Revels, every new script must be registered at my office and examined by me before it can be performed. "

" Tomorrow morning, first thing, Ill send it over, Mr Linely," Shakespeare told the man.

"I don't work to your schedule! " Linely snapped, " you work to mine! The script, now! "

" I can't. "

" Then tomorrow's performance is cancelled," Linely said sharply, " I'm returning to my office for a banning order. If it's the last thing I do, "Loves Labour's Won" will never be performed. "

With that, he left quickly.

" Well then," Martha said to the Doctor, " that's that solved ... that's why the play never existed. Thought it might have been something more mysterious really. "

Then there was screaming.

The Doctor rushed off outside first, and Lily followed, Shakespeare and Martha following them too. Lily's heart pumped faster as she panicked and saw what was outside. A man was standing in the middle o the street, spluttering and coughing up, spitting out, water.

" It's that Linely bloke! " Martha pointed out.

" What wrong with him? " the Doctor asked, as the landlady of the pub - Dolly - came outside, as did the young girl who worked there - Lilith. " Leave it to me, I'm a Doctor! "

" So am I - almost," Martha said, as she and the Doctor rushed forwards.

Lily darted forwards too, but Shakespeare caught onto her arm and pulled her back sharply, looking at her. He clung to her protectively, " Don't," he said, " that could be anything ... he could be dangerous. "

Lily pulled her arm from his grasp, " I've been in worse situations, trust me. "

" Trust you? " Shakespeare repeated," I haven't seen you in 17 years - I know very little about you. "

Lily shrugged, " I'll fill you in on some details when we have time, yeah? "

Linely fell to the ground and the Doctor darted forwards, getting on his knees beside the other man. Martha did too, and Lily moved closer, standing over them and watching what was happening in confusion.

Martha knelt there and tried to get a heartbeat, but she was failing - the heartbeat wasn't good, and his breathing wasn't working properly. Lily watched nervously, wondering what was going on.

Water suddenly started to gush from Linely's mouth and Lily stared, " What? "

" What? " the Doctor demanded.

" What? " Lily repeated, looking down at the man.

More water gushed from his mouth and then he slumped to one side, dead. Lily watched in horror, trying to work out what the hell was going on - she'd not seen something like this, and she had no idea how to deal with it.

" I've never seen a death like it," the Doctor said, scanning the man with his sonic screwdriver " his lungs are full of water. He drowned, and then ... I dunno, like a blow to the heart - an invisible blow. "

The Doctor straightened up and looked at the woman who ran the inn, knowing he had to make the dead look normal, or there could be chaos, " Good mistress, this poor fellow has died from a sudden imbalance of the humours. A perfectly natural, if unfortunate, demise. Call a constable and have him taken away. "

"Yes sir," Dolly Bailey nodded.

" What did you tell them that for? " Martha asked, as Lilith and Dolly went inside and Shakespeare lingered a little way off. Lily moved in to hear the Doctor's answer.

" This lot have still got one foot in the Dark Ages. If I tell them the truth, they'll panic and think it was witchcraft. "

" Okay," nodded Martha, " then, what was it? "

" Witchcraft," the Doctor answered simply, giving her a dark look.

There was a pause, undil Shakespeare swaggered over and laid a hand on Lily's arm, " Where are you staying these days? Where do you live? "

" We're in the market, as it were," came Lily's answer, " think we'll have a room at this inn for tonight. "

Shakespeare nodded, " Then we'll have plenty of time to talk, won't we? You're going to have to tell me all about what you've been doing over the past few years - there's such a lot to catch up on. "

" All in good time," Lily replied.

The Doctor made his way over and laid a hand on his daughter's shoulder, " Not tonight, right? There's been enough excitement for one night, and I think we should all get some rest. "

Lily agreed and they all went back into the inn, where the Doctor asked Dolly for two rooms - one for himself and one for the girls. Dolly replied that she only had one left, so they decided to take that.

" You could always share my room," Shakespeare said, looking at Lily, " we always had such fun. "

Lily didn't need to reply because the deathly glare from the Doctor answered it all - if Shakespeare was having difficulty accepting that his ex-wife's father had got a new body and face, the glares and protectie nature were certainly on their way to convincing him.

He looked hopefully at Martha, " Miss Jones? "

" I think I'll politely decline that one," Martha said.

" Follow me," Dolly said, " I've got you a room, Doctor ... Miss ... Miss ... "

As they walked up the stairs, Lily walked at the front, with Dolly. Dolly was looking at Lily with curiosity before she asked quietly, " You know Will well then, do you? "

Lily smiled and had to stop herself giving a filthy grin, instead smiling politely, " I knew him a while ago, and we haven't seen each other in a long time. I think he wants to catch up. "

" Will's a generous man," Dolly said, " he likes to catch up with everyone ... especially pretty young women " she nodded wisely.

Half way down the landing, Dolly pointed out their room and bade them goodnight, leaving the others standing in the middle of the corridor.

Shakespeare ran a hand through his hair, " Poor Linely. So many strange events. Not least of all, this land of Freedonia where a woman can be a Doctor? "

" Where a woman can be anything," Martha corrected.

" And you," Shakespeare said, looking at the Doctor next, " how can you be a different man, but the same man? You always were a mystery of a father-in-law, but this is really something else ... and you have such old eyes for a young man. "

" I do a lot of reading," the Doctor said, " and as for the changing bodies thing ... freak accident. "

Shakespeare was not at all convinced and he turned to Lily next, " And _you - _there's no way you can look exactly the same as you ever did. You should be middle aged by now, and yet you look so young and ... perfect. " He cleared his throat and looked back at Martha, " you ... you look at these two as if you're amazed that they exist. They're a puzzle to you. "

" I think we should say good-night," Martha said, before turning into the bedroom.

Lily shrugged and looked at Shakespeare, " I should turn in too, Will. "

Shakespeare took a step forwards and made as if he was about to hug Lily, though the Doctor stood in Shakespeare's way, just to be annoying. Lily shrugged again and disppeared in the bedroom.

In the room, Lily looked around and saw that the room was very small - a little window at one side, a wardrobe in the corner, a chest of drawers and a candle beside a double bed.

" Not exactly five star is it? " Martha asked, as the Doctor entered the room.

" I've seen worse," Lily said, " you should have seen the dive me and Will lived in when we first got married - bloody awful. And that time I met Casanova ... "

" Casanova? " Martha asked, " you'll have to tell me all about that one! "

Lily grinned, " Oh, I'll tell you," she lowered her voice as the Doctor went to pull on the curtains, " let's just say he's every bit the lover boy as the rumours make him out to be ... we spent one afternoon in the most disgusting inn room you've ever seen. "

" What're you whispering about? " the Doctor asked.

Lily blushed and said nothing, and Martha paused before quickly answering, " I was just saying that I don't even have my toothbrush. "

The Doctor grinned, " Oh, is that all? Here - " he reached into his pocket and pulled out a brush, handing it to her, " contains Venusian spearmint. "

" So, who's going where? " Martha asked, " there's one bed, and three of us! "

" We'll manage," the Doctor said, " it's only one night. C'mon. "

He flopped down onto the bed, and Lily smiled at him, walking over to one side of the bed. " Move over," she said, " urgh, this is weird - haven't had to share a bed with you for such a long time ... feel like a little kid again. "

The Doctor looked up at her and shifted over a little. Lily slid onto the bed next to him and lay on her side, curling into a little ball, the way she always slept.

" So, magic and stuff," said Martha, looked at them both, " That's a suprise - it' a bit Harry Potter. "

" Wait until you read book seven," the Doctor said, " I cried. "

Lily nodded, " Me too. Several times - 'specailly when - "

" Don't ruin it for her," the Doctor said, nudging his daughter.

" But is it real? " asked Martha, " I mean, witches, black magic, and all that - is it really ... well, it is really real? "

" Course it isn't! " Lily and the Doctor said in unison, as if it were obvious.

" Well, how am I supposed to know? " Martha demanded, a little annoyed, " I've only just started believing in time travel - give me a break, I don't know what the hell's going on. "

" Looks like witchcraft, but isn't," the Doctor continued, " can't be. Are you gonna stand there all day? "

Martha shrugged and sat on the edge of the bed, looking at the Doctor for a moment before laying down on the bed, just on the edge, " Sorry, there's not much room here. Us two - same bed - tongues will wag and all that. "

Lily, staring at the ceiling, rolled her eyes - Martha had clearly forgotten that Lily was there, and Lily found herself resenting that. Lily saw herself and the Doctor as a team, and they'd always been together - even with the addition of other companions, they were a unit. When someone came along to threaten that, she didn't like it. Here was this woman they barely knew, and she was acting like it was just the Doctor - no Lily.

Lily quickly realised, as she heard the tone of Martha's voice, and had seen the looks she gave the Doctor all day and all through the hospital adventures. The way Martha had followed them so readily. Lily wasn't as oblivious to Martha'd feeling to the Doctor, as the Doctor himself was - the Doctor was hopeless, but Lily was much better with feelings.

This Martha was already falling for her Dad, and Lily hoped it wouldn't last. Dad wasn't ready to fall in love with anyone.

Her thoughts were broken by the Doctor's words in the background, " There's something I'm missing, Martha ... " he rolled onto his side, and Lily knew the pair of them were quite close, sharing a moment. She grimanced and decided that she wanted no part in this, staying where she saw.

She rolled her eyes as her Dad's oblivious nature as he broke the moment, " Something really close, staring me in the face ... I can't see it. Rose would know. Friend of mine. Rose. She'd always say exactly the right thing. " He sighed and rolled onto his back, " still, can't be helped. You're a novice - I'm taking you back tomorrow. "

" Great," Martha said, sarcastically, leaning over and blowing out the candle, turning her back on the last time lord and closing her eyes.

Lily was slightly amused by the way Martha liked the Doctor already, and he was so oblivious and ignoring her - he didn't have a clue. Lily hoped Martha's feeling wouldn't get out of hand - the Doctor's heart belonged to Rose, and Lily knew nothing would change that.

She found herself thinking about Will Shakespeare, and then about the brilliant Captain Jack Harkness. She was more in love with Jack than she had ever thought it possible, whereas Will would always be a mistake she made during a rebellious phase - if a fun mistake.

She sighed, all thoughts slipping to Jack, Jack being all she could think of right now.

She shifted on the bed, trying to get comfy and couldn't. She sighed and lay on her side, facing her dad, who was laying on his back. Lily took hold of his arm, picking it up and wrapping it around her shoulders, kissing the back of his hand before using the arm as a blanket to keep her warm.

The Doctor, still awake, shifted his hand to the back of her head, stroking her hair as kept his arm around her shoulders.

" Hey Dad? " Lily whispered.

" Yeah? " he whispered back.

" Is it pathetic that I'm over 200 and I'm going to sleep in my father's arms? " she asked.

" No. "

***

**Author's Note: I'm starting to think about writing Human Nature/Family of Blood now. There'sa lot of chance to do something different. Is there anything people would really like to see?**


	4. Dreams and Conversations

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**Author's Note: Thank for the reviews. To Alibrandi: I love writing the little dad/daughter stuff because I think you would be really close if you lived like they do.**

Chapter Four

Lily was laying on the bed that night, curled in a little ball as she slept. She breathed in and out lightly, and shifted in her sleep, pulling the Doctor's arm around her shoulders more tightly in her sleep.

She was dreaming, as anyone would have been able to tell from the expression on her face and the way her eyes darted around under her eyelids.

In her dreams, she could see parts of her own past - more memories than dreams - each was something that may have happened to her in the past, but she hadn't thought about it properly at the time.

The first was standing just outside the TARDIS, with Sarah-Jane Smith. It was when they went to the school a while ago, with Rose and Mickey. There was something odd going on at the school and they had to pose as staff to get in. There they met Sarah Jane Smith and K9, who they hadn't seen for a long time. In the end they found that the staff were all Krilliatanes and with everything fixed, they'd gone back.

Lily was dreaming about her goodbye to Sarah Jane.

_She and Sarah Jane were standing outside the TARDIS._

_" It was so good to see you," Sarah Jane said, " and I hope everything turns out alright for you. "_

_" I'm sure it will do," Lily said, " He's gone. But there's nothing I can do about that. "_

_" What was his name? " Sarah Jane asked._

_" Jack," Lily smiled, " Jack Harkness. "_

_Sarah paused for a moment and then said, " Hmm ... that sounds sort of ... familiar. "_

Suddenly the memory changed to something that had happened that same day.

They - Martha and Lily - were standing around the TARDIS' console, the Doctor in the background, working the controls.

" _Harkness? " Martha asked, as the TARDIS tumbled through time and space, " ... I think I've heard it somewhere before, actually ... "_

Then the scene changed again and she thought about the time they'd been to the parallel universe, and she'd met a parallel _alive _Jack ... married to a man, Ianto. Images of the couple splilled into her dreams, and then there was a quick image of the real Ianto she'd met at Canary Wharf.

Then she awoke with a start. She jumped a little, and her eyes flew open.

She stayed very still where she was laid, and looked around the room ... a few hours seemed to have passed between going to sleep and waking up now.

Her mind was full of Jack once again ... she'd never really registered it before, but it was a strange coincidence that both Martha and Sarah Jane thought they'd heard his name before. It confused her completely ... Jack died in 200100 on the Game Station, but two 21st century women could vaguely remember hearing his name before.

It didn't add up, and she couldn't figure out how they could have heard of him ... she made a mental note to ask Martha about where she'd heard the name before ... it had to be a coincidence.

She was now feeling confused about it, and hurt at having to think about Jack again, a sudden surge of love because of Jack, pain at the old memories, hope that Jack was still alive, doubt ... she sighed - too many emotions.

She rubbed her face with one hand and gently pushed her father's arm away from her shoulders, allowing herself room to slip off the edge of the bed. She looked back at he and Martha - both still fast asleep.

Lily ran a hand through her hair and quietly walked around the room slowly, trying to take in exactly what she was feeling.

She'd never thought about this before, but as she thought about it, she managed to put together more and more wild therories, to try and convince herself that Jack was still alive.

Then another thought struck her. The parallel world, where Jack had been married to Ianto. Jack exsisted in a parallel world because there was a dead Jack in the real world, and there was Ianto in the parallel world because there was a Ianto in the real world. But the Ianto in the real world and the Jack in the real world had nothing to do with each other, so it made no sense that they would be together in the parallel world.

She knew it was parallel, so all different, but still .... parallel Pete was married to parallel Jackie - that happened because that relationship happened in the real world. But if that made sense, then it made sense that parallel Ianto and parallel Jack were married because that relationship happened in the real world ... but in the real world, Jack and Ianto had never met.

Unless ... they must have done, somehow. Maybe Jack had met Ianto before meeting Lily .. but ... no. She turned around and paced the other way. Jack had told her a lot about his life before meeting she and the Doctor, and if there was a cute young guy with a nice welsh accent, she felt sure Jack would have mentioned him.

But that only meant that Jack could have met Ianto in the future ... but Jack didn't have a future on Earth because he'd died.

She turned the other way and suddenly stopped still in the middle of the room ... unless ... something happened. Jack hadn't really died! Maybe something ... something weird had happened after she left, and he hadn't really died. Even though she'd held his dead body in her arms ... something spooky could have happened afterwards, and maybe ... just maybe ... he was alive.

Maybe he'd somehow survived, and then he ended up on Earth, where he met Ianto.

God, that was ridiculous.

There was no way that could have happened, she thought, as it sounded so utterly ridiculous and impossible. But then maybe, it was so ridiculous and stupid and unbelieveable enough, that it could just be true.

What if he was really alive and on Earth?

She told herself that was stupid - he couldn't possibly die in 200100 in outer space, come back to life, and end up on Earth in the early 21st century.

She shook her head at herself and decided that she needed some air.

Looking at her dad and telling herself he wouldn't wake up before she got back, and he wouldn't even know she'd been gone, she crept to the door and left the room as quietly as she could.

She was creeping down the corridor when one of the doors shot open, and she almost jumped a mile. She flattened a palm against her chest and looked in the direction of the door with wide eyes.

" Lily," said Shakespeare, standing there with a suprised look on his face, " I thought I'd see who was creeping around - what are you doing? Shouldn't you be in bed? "

Lily shrugged, " I don't need much sleep. Fancied getting a bit of air, get out and think about stuff. "

Shakespeare looked at the woman who had once meant so much to him, such a long time ago, and regarded her carefully, " Do you want to talk about anything? "

Lily was about to say no, but instead nodded, " Yeah, why not? For old time's sake, I suppose. "

He nodded and stood back, gesturing with one arm into the small room he was staying in. Lily smiled slightly and passed him, going into the room, whilst he waited for her to enter and followed her in, closing the door behind them both.

" There's one thing I'll say for 16th Century men - you really are a corteous bunch," Lily said, taking a seat on the edge of Will's bed and looking across at him as he sat at the table.

" What do you mean "16th Century men? " Will asked, shaking his head at her, " it's not as if you've ever been to any other century ... have you? "

Lily jerked her head in a non-comittal way.

He sighed, " There was always something odd about you, and you'd never tell me what it was - where you were from exactly, and what ... what made you so different, but I think I've got it figured now. "

Lily didn't reply and there was a pause, before which she looked over at his desk, " You got the play finished then? "

He nodded, " Yeah, looks like it. I was writing, and I was so tired. I must have finished when I was very very tire,d because I barely remember writing it. "

" Is it any good? " asked Lily.

" I'm hoping," Will shrugged, " but never mind that - how about you? Now's the time to catch up. How come you were wandering around the corridor like you were lost? "

Lily shrugged, " Just ... stuff. Long story, but basically, there's a man. Was a man. I don't know. "

" Ah," Will grinned, " I should have known my Lilyflower wouldn't stay single for too long. Tell me about the men. "

Lily shook her head, " Nothing to tell you. I met him several years after you and I had last saw each other. He was fun, and right away he was perfect for me. We were happy, but then he died ... or at least, I thought he had until tonight. I don't know ... just ... something makes me think he could still be alive. "

" Denial," Will said, " it's not a good thing, you know. You need to move on. "

Lily didn't bother replying - it was too difficult to explain everything to him right now.

" I'm sorry ... about your man." Will said, " you deserve to find someone brilliant ... it's cruel that it didn't work out. Out of interest," said Will casually, " what did your father think about this guy then? Did he ever punch him? "

Lily smiled, " He liked Jack, though he didn't exactly like me and Jack together. Never hit him, so far as I can remember. Would have been quite funny to see though ... doesn't matter now anyway, does it? He's gone. "

Will shrugged and then stood up from where he was sat. He stood in front of her and looked down at her.

" Well that's not fair," she told him, standing up, " now you make me feel short. "

As she stood up and looked at him, Shakespeare reached out and put his finger and thumb under Lily's chin and tilted her head up to that she had to look at him properly. She looked him in the eye and he looked back at her.

" Now," he said, " you're going to cheer up because you have a lovely smile, and I want to see it. " He paused and then said, " It's good to see you again ... Mrs Shakespeare. "

" Do I need to remind you that you have a new wife? " Lily asked, " though she's hardly new ... it must be 17 years now ... she must be knocking on a bit. "

Will rolled his eyes and Lily allowed herself a small smile. Will grinned at her and leaned in, moving the hand from under her chin to cup her cheek. Lily was too confused about what was going on to do anything about it, and she was staring into his familiar deep brown eyes with her eyes. She just let it happen ... told herself it was for old time's sake.

He leant forwards and brushed his lips against hers lightly, before kissing her again, harder this time, slipping his tounge between her lips and searching her mouth with the tounge, kissing her again and again. she just let him kiss her, running one of her hands through his hair, overtaken by the passion. He ran his free hand down her waist and it was only when he tried to push her back against the bed that she broke away.

She pushed him away quickly and flattened down her hair, stairng at him apalled. He looked quite hurt as he stared back at her.

" I'm sorry," she said, sinking onto the bed, " it's been about a year since he died, and there hasn't been anyone since ... I can't move on .. i don't know ... I just can't. I'm sorry ... I'm still in love wiht him - it feels like I'm betraying him. "

"You're not," Will said softly, " I'm willing to bet your man would want you to be happy. "

He sat down beside her on the bed and reached out to smooth down her hair, " Don't feel guilty ... you've nothing to be guilty about ... me? I'm a married man - I should feel guilty, but I don't. You and I both know I only married Anne because I had to. "

Lily sniffed took a deep breath, composing herself.

" Did he make you happy? " Will asked.

" Yeah," Lily breathed.

" Then I'm glad for you," he told her, " it's good to know that you got some happiness, even if it wasn't how you thought it wasn't going to be. God knows my life isn't how I thought it would be. Still, the kids make up for the marriage ... oh, I meant to tell you - my daughter - guess what her middle name is - go on, guess. "

Lily shrugged.

" Lily," Will grinned.

Lily raised her eyebrows, " Seriously? "

"Anne wasn't happy about it, but I told her you were some kind of alien thing and she owed you one since she stole you away from me, so if we didn't honour you, you come down and curse her or something. "

Lily rolled her eyes.

Will smiled and moved in, planting a soft, friendly kiss on her cheek.

Lily smiled back at him as he pulled away, but their moment was broken when there was a loud scream that pierced the air and instantly put everyone on their alert.

" Come on," Lily said, standing up and heading for the bedroom door.

*****

**Author's Note: Does anyone think Lily should fall in love again in Human Nature/Family of Blood? I might go down that route, but I don't know if I should, because she's got Jack, and then she's had this thing with Shakespeare.**


	5. Shakespeare and the Carrionites

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

Chapter Five

After hearing the female scream, Lily and Will ran for the door and Lily got there first, yanking it open and looking both ways down the corridor. She saw no sign of anything going on until another door down the corridor opened and Martha and the Doctor stood there.

The Doctor's eyes locked on Lily's as she came out into the corridor, and he looked both relieved and angry. He crossed the corridor in two swift strides, laying his hands on Lily's shoulders.

" What were you thinking, just wandering off? " he demanded, stopping slightly to look into her eyes, " I hear someone screaming and I wake up to find that you've gone! I thought that was _you. _I thought something had happened to you! "

" I'm fine," Lily said, trying to break free from his grip, " I woke up and needed to stretch my legs. "

" And you were stretching your legs in his room? " the Doctor demanded, nodding his head towards Shakespeare.

" It wasn't my intention," Lily admitted, " but I ran into Will in the corridor and decided to catch up with him. It's not like I was causing any trouble - I'm fine, aren't I? "

She was dying to tell her father about her new thoughts on Jack's fate, but this didn't seem really the moment. She needed a bit of time to sit down and ask him what he thought - Dad knew everything ... maybe he'd be able to tell her which of her theories were possible and which weren't ... maybe he'd be able to help her - sure, he didn't like the idea of she and Jack together but he wanted her to be happy and he'd seen how much she loved Jack when she was grieving.

Lily put her thoughts aside when her Dad shook her slightly to make her look at him and pay attention, " I don't care where you were or weren't - the point is, I thought you were there and then you weren't. Don't do that to me again," he told her angrily, " I was worried about you. "

" Hey," Martha said, interrupting " if Lily wasn't screaming, then who was? ... Don't we have some investigating to do? "

Shakespeare was already off down the corridor, and was looking through some of the rooms, when he entered one room and gasped loudly. The others followed him in, and Lily also asped at the sight of the landlady laying on the floor, dead.

Martha rushed to the window, while Lily and the Doctor knelt by Dolly's dead body, and Will sank into a chair in shock.

" Her heart just gave out," the Doctor said, shaking his head, after scanning her quickly, " I don't know what she's seen, but she's died of fright. "

" Doctor," Martha said, pointing out of the window.

" What is it? " he asked, joining her at the window, " what did you see? "

" There was a witch! " Martha exclaimed," but ... it just flew away - but there _was _a witch! "

"Witch? " Lily repeated, in shock, " there was a witch? This is just stupid ... what the hell's going on here? "

" That's what we need to get to the bottom of," the Doctor nodded.

Shakespeare sighed, " Well, I don't know about you lot, but I'm need of a whisky, and there's a bottle in my desk drawer. "

Lily nodded and looked down at Dolly's body, " Yeah .. not a bad idea ... "

They left the room, after informing Lilith - the bar girl - of Dolly's demise and getting her to call for the constables. Assured that Dolly would be now taken care of, the four of them went back to Will's room and started to discuss things.

Martha and the Doctor were sat at his desk, while Will stood leaning against one wall and Lily sat on the edge of his bed.

" Oh, sweet Dolly Bailey," Shakespeare sighed, giving Lily the impression that they'd been involved, " she sat out three bouts of the plague in this place, while the rest of us ran like rats. But what could have scared her so? She had such enormous spirit. "

" Rage, rage against the dying of the light," the Doctor said quietly.

" I might use that," Will said.

" You can't - it's somebody else's," the Doctor said, shaking his head, while Lily vaguely wondered how many of Shakespeare's lines were his own and how many were things someone else had said to him.

" The thing is," Martha said, " Linely drowned on dry land and Dolly died of fright, and they were both connected to you somehow. "

" Are you accusing me? " asked Shakespeare, quite annoyed.

" No," Martha said quickly, " but I saw a witch, as big as you like, flying, cackling away, the whole lot. And you've written about witches! "

Lily winced as Shakespeare asked, " I have? When was that? "

Lily saw the Doctor nudged Martha and muttered a warning, or something, in her ear. They all sat in silence for a little while until Shakespeare said thoughtfully, " Peter Street spoke of witches. "

" Peter Streete? " Lily asked, " who's he? "

" Our builder," Shakespeare replied, smiling at his Lilyflower, " he sketched the plans to the Globe - used to say something or other about witches. "

" The architect," the Doctor said carefully, " hold on ... the architect. The architect! " He stood up and slammed his fist on the table, " the Globe! Architect! Globe! Now - come on! "

He ran off without another word and the others followed.

" Why is it," Will called to Lily as they ran, " that there's always so much more trouble when you're around? "

Lily shrugged, " Who wants to live the peaceful life? Where would be the fun in that? "

They ran out of the inn, and as they moved into the street, Lily vaguely realised that it was early morning, as the sun was starting to come up and the birds singing - it was oddly nice for such an odd situation and running around time.

They ran down the streets until they were at the Globe Theatre. It was already open, and there were a couple of people inside cleaning up and messing about with pieces of set. The Doctor ran into the middle of the theatre and the others followed, stopping in the middle and looking around, trying to work out what the Doctor wanted.

" The columns there, right? " the Doctor mused, " 14 sides. I've always wondered, but I never asked ... tell me Will, why 14 sides? "

Will shrugged, " It was the shape that Peter Streete thought best. That's all. I think he said it carried the sound well. "

" Why does that ring a bell? " the Doctor asked himself, more than anyone else, " 14 ... why? "

" There are 14 lines in a sonnet," Martha pointed out.

" So there are," the Doctor agreed, " good point. Words and shapes follow the same design. 14 lines, 14 sides, 14 facets ... oh, my head hurts ... tetradecagon. Think, think, think! Words, letters, numbers, lines .... Lily! Think! "

" This is just a theatre," Will said, " what does this have to do with anything. "

" Oh, the theatres are magical," the Doctor said happily, " Magic, isn't it? You should know. Stand on that stage there, say the right words with the right emphasis at the right time ... oh you can make men weep, or cry with joy ... change them. You can change people's minds just with words in this place. And if you exaggerate that ... "

" It's like your police box," Martha cut in, " small power box with all of that power inside! "

" Oh," the Doctor nodded, " Oh, Martha Jones, I do like you. Tell you what though, Peter Streete would know. Can I talk to him? Shall we go talk to him? "

" You won't get an answer," Shakespeare warned, " a month after finishing this place, he lost his mind. "

" What happened? " Lily asked carefully.

" Starting raving about witches," Shakespeare said, waving his hand around dismissively, " hearing voices, seeing things, babbling. His mind was addled. He's in Bedlam now. "

" What's Bedlam? " Martha asked.

Lily winced a little as she replied, " The madhouse. "

" We're gonna go there," the Doctor said, " right now. Come on. Lily - with me! "

He headed out and Lily and Martha followed.

" Wait! " shouted Shakespeare, following them out, " I want to come with you - I want to witness this first hand. " As two young actors entered, he nodded at them, and tossed them a piece of paper, " last scene as promised. Copy it, hand it around. Learn it, speak it. Eyes and teeth. You never know the Queen might turn up ... " as he walked away, he added under his breath, " not that she ever does. "

As they walked towards Bedlam, the Doctor offered his arm out to Lily and she took it. He looked down at her in concern and asked, " You alright? "

Lily nodded, " Yeah ... just ... I had a dream last night, and it shook me a bit. I'm ok now though ... maybe I'll tell you later. "

The Doctor nodded, " Yeah. Only ... tell me you weren't in _his _room for long. I don't want you to go messing up history or anything by marrying Shakespeare again, and then ... I don't know ... emigrating very, very away so none of his greatest works got published or something. "

" Dad, I can assure there's no chance of that happening ... I'm not about to marry him ... he's not Jack," she told herself, " Jack's the only one I would want to marry. "

They fell into a short silence, during which they could only hear the conversation between Martha and Shakespeare, behind them.

" Tell me about Freedonia," Shakespeare said to Martha, " where women can be doctors, writers, actors. "

Martha shrugged, " A woman runs _this _country. "

" Ah, but she's royal," Shakespeare said, " That's God's business. Although you _are _a royal beauty. "

Lily looked over her shoulder and gave Shakespeare a mock-annoyed look, " And here I thought you loved me, but you'd rather have Martha! "

Shakespeare shrugged, " Well, Lilyflower, if you _will _keep such beautiful company ... "

" Woah there," Martha said, sticking out one hand, " I know for a fact that you've got a wife in the country. "

" That won't stop him! " Lily called.

" This is Town, anyway, not the country," Shakespeare replied.

The Doctor groaned and rolled his eyes, " C'mon ... we can all have a good flirt later, if you must. "

" Is that a promise, Doctor? " Shakespeare asked.

The Doctor turned away and leaned down to mutter to Lily, " My God - 57 academics just punched the air. Always thought your boy Will had a bit of a thing for me. "

" You're joking," Lily scoffed, " the last time we saw him, you looked a right state. Tell you what, in _that _regeneration, there's no way he would have wanted you, when he had _me. "_

_" _Not getting jealous? " asked the Doctor, nudging her, his voice thick with teasing, " he might not have wanted me back then, but this regeneration? Well, you've got to admit I look _good. "_

Lily swatted at him with one hand and he laughed.

***

Soon they were walking down the corridors of Bedlam. It was an awful place and Lily looked around wishing they could be somewhere else - the whole place had a cold, creepy feel to it, and she wanted to be in the nice warm TARDIS.

A jailer led them through the halls where the people in there - the mental ones - screamed and moaned, others cowered against the walls in fear, while some just stood and glared at the visitors through the bars.

Lily shuddered as a woman howled and it cut right through her - an awful, horrible sound. She hated seeing people in misery and time travelling meant they saw some of the most awful things, and she was never prepared for some of them.

She jumped slightly when she felt something touch her hand and relaxed when she realised the other hand was warm and familiar. She looked up as her Dad took her hand and interlocked his fingers with hers, rubbing his thumb against the back of her hand lightly. He could sense the fear and worry she felt and was determined to wash it away for her.

She nodded at him gratefully and he squeezed her hand tighter.

The jailer cleared his throat and cracked his whip against the ground, " Does my lord, Doctor, wish for some entertainment while he waits? I'd whip these madmen. They'll put on a good show for you. "

" No I don't! " the Doctor replied, horrified by the suggestion.

" Then wait here my lords, while I make your man decent for the ladies," the jailer said, leaving them before disappearing into one of the cells.

" My God," Martha said, once he'd gone, turning to Shakespeare, " this is what you call a hospital, yeah? Where the patients are whipped to entertain the visitors? And you put your friend in here? "

" Oh, it's all so different in Freedonia, is it? " asked Shakespeare.

" You're so clever! " Martha sighed, " do you really think this place is good? "

" I've been mad," came the simple reply, " I've lost my mind. Fear of this place set me straight again. It serves its purpose. "

" Mad in what way? " Martha asked, intruiged.

" You lost your son," the Doctor said softly, " you were almost driven mad by losing your child," he gripped Lily's hand tighter without even realising what he was doing.

" It made me question everything," Shakespeare nodded, " the futility of this fleeting existence. To be or not to be ... ooh, that's good. "

" You should write that down," the Doctor said.

" Hm, maybe not," Shakespeare shrugged, " I don't know. "

" This way m'lords! " called the jailer from inside the cell, " you're alright. " Lily took a deep breath and the Doctor move forwards, automatically pulling her with him, while Martha and Will followed them into the cell.

The jailer was standing at one end of the room, and Peter Street was at the other end, facing the wall, head down and knees curled up to his chest.

" They can be dangerous," the jailer warned, " don't know their own strength, some of them. "

" I think it helps if you don't whip them! " the Doctor snapped at the jailer, furiously, " now get out! "

When he'd gone, the Doctor looked around at his companions and then dropped Lily's hand slowly, before going over to Peter. He approached him slowly, calling, " Peter? Peter Streete? " He got closer and laid a hand on the man's shoulder, " Peter? "

Peter's head jerked up and he turned around to look at the Doctor with wide glassy eyes, looking very much like he wanted to speak.

The Doctor looked at Peter, trying to coax information out of him, " Peter, I'm the Doctor and these lot are my friends. Go into the past, one year ago. Let your mind go back, back when everything was fine and shining. Everything that happened in this year happened to someone else. It ws just a story. A winter's tale. Let go - listen - that's it. Tell me about the witches, Peter. "

Lily was always amazed by how easy her dad made everything look, and how he could do anything he tried.

" Witches spoke to Peter," Peter said suddenly, " in the night, they whispered. Got Peter to build the globe to their design. _Their _design. The 14 walls - always 14! When the work was done, they sapped poor Peter's wits. "

" Where did Peter see the witches? " the Doctor asked, crouching down, " where in the city? You've got to tell me - where? "

" All Hallows Street. "

" Too many words! " cackled a new voice in the room.

Suddenly, there was a witch.

Lily looked around in confusion and saw that standing close to Peter and the Doctor was an ugly old woman, her back a little hunched over, her nose crooked. Her fingernails were long and dirty and her hair was long and straggly. She wore dark, ripped robes.

" What the hell? " Martha shouted, as the Doctor stumbled backwards and fell into line with Martha, just in front of Will and Lily.

" Just one touch of the heart," cackled the witch, moving closer to Peter and laying her hand on his chest. Peter screamed and the Doctor shouted at her, telling her not to do it, but she didn't listen, and Peter died.

" Witch! " Shakespeare yelled, " I can see a witch! "

" Who will be next? " the witch cackled, " who will suffer Mother Doomfinger's touch of death next? I'll stop your frantic little hearts you pathetic mortals. "

" Let us out! " Martha shouted, rattling the bars of the cells.

" That's not going to work," pointed out the Doctor, " the whole building's shouting that - you'll look just like one of the mental people. "

" Who will die first? " Mother Doomfinger cackled, moving forwards, and pointing one long finger in Lily's direction, " how about the pretty little girl hiding at the back, hmm? " she cackled again and again, " how about we end that little life right now? "

The Doctor practically growled as he moved in front of Lily, " Don't you even _look _at her," he said viciously, " if you're looking for someone to kill, then you go through me first. "

He looked back at Lily and then walked towards Mother Doomfinger.

" Can't you stop her? " Shakespeare asked of the Doctor.

" No mortal has power over me! " Doomfinger laughed.

" Oh, but there's a power in words," the Doctor grinned, " if I can find the right words ... the right one ... if I can just know you ... "

" No-one on Earth has knowledge of me! " Doomfinger shouted triumphantly.

" Ah," the Doctor nodded, " then it's a good thing _I'm _here isn't it? Now think, think, think. Humanoid female, uses shapes and words to channel energy ... ah 14! That's it! 14! The 14 stars of the Rexel planetary configuration! Creature, I name you Carrionite! "

Doomfinger wailed and disappeared in a puff of pink smoke.

" Oh, nice work," Lily grinned, when the smoke had cleared, " Carrionite - I didn't expect that! "

" What did you do? " Martha asked.

" I named her," the Doctor said proudly, " the power of a name. That's old magic! "

" There's no such thing as magic," said Martha simply.

" Well, it's just a different sort of science," the Doctor shrugged, " you lot, you choose mathematics. Given the right string of numbers, use the right equation, you can split the atom. Carrionites use words instead. "

" Use them for what? " Shakespeare asked.

There was an uneasy pause, before the Doctor answered, " To bring about the end of the world. "

" What are Carrionaites? " Martha asked, " what do they do? And what are we going to do about it? "

" How can there be witches? " demanded Shakespeare.

" What do we do? " Lily whispered.

The Doctor turned to Lily and answered her question only, " We got back to the inn and we think about this ... work out our next move logically. There's only so much time before they put their plan into action - providing there is more than one of them - so we need to stop them. "

" Got ya," Lily nodded.

Soon, they were off running down the streets again, dodging past people, pushing past those in the way, shouting apologies over their shoulders as they ran, and trying not to trip over their own feet.

Back at the inn, they all ran up the stairs as fast as they could, trying not to trip in their hurry. The Doctor headed for the room but stopped and barged into Shakespeare's room, hurrying to the best and sitting down there, the others gathering around.

"What are these Carrionites anyway? " asked Martha, catching her breath first, not used to the amount of running.

" Carrionites disappeared way back at the dawn of the universe. Nobody was sure if they were real or legend. "

" Well, I'm going for real," Shakespeare said.

Lily rolled her eyes, " Can't you be quiet and let him tell the story? "

Will folded his arms and glared at her, " You've always got to pick fault, haven't you? Honestly Lilyflower, can't you let me be? "

" Why don't- "

" Alright! " the Doctor said, waving his arms around, " do you want to leave the domestics out for now? I don't think we've got the time, yeah? "

" What do these want, anyway? " asked Martha

" A new empire on Earth," the Doctor said, " a world of bones and blood and witchcraft. "

" But how? " Martha asked.

" I'm looking at the man with the words," the Doctor shrugged, looking over at the famous playwright.

" Me? I've done nothing," Will insisted.

" Hold on though," Lily said, shaking her head, " last night, when we all went to bed, I thought I saw something follow you into your room, Will. I dismissed it because I was tired, but I think ... what if it was one of the Carrionites? If they'd put you under some sort of spell, you wouldn't know. What were you doing last night, before I came in? "

" Finishing the play - you know that," he told her.

" What happens on the last page? " asked the Doctor curiously.

" The boys get the girls," Will shrugged, trying to think, " they have a bit of a dance. It's all as funny and thought provoking as usual - except those last few lines. Funny thing is, I don't actually remember writing them. "

" That's it! " exclaimed the Doctor, " they used you! They gave you the final words. Like a spell, like a code. Loves Labour's Won - it's a weapon. The right combination of words, spoken at the right place with the shape of the Globe as an energy converter. The play's the thing! And yes ... you can have that! "

Lily laughed and then put her hands on her hips, thinking about it, " All Hallows Street ... where Peter saw the witches. Where is that, my dearest William? "

Will grinned and got on his knees searching around under the bed, until he found a map. He pulled it out from under the bed and flattened it out on the desk, where they all gathered around it.

" There! " the Doctor shouted, " All Hallows Street. There it is. Martha, we'll track them down. Will, you get to the Globe. Whatever you do, you stop that play! "

"And me? " Lily asked, " I suppose I'm with you? "

" You can go to the theatre with Will," replied the Doctor, " two of us here and two there. "

Lily raised her eyebrows, " You suprise me - you don't usually let me out of your sight. "

The Doctor shrugged, " That's because I need to know that someone's keeping an eye on you, and I'm usually the only person for the job. At least I know you'll be alright with Will because he knows I'd punch him if he didn't take good care of you. "

Will laughed, " You can count on me Doctor - we'll stop the play. " He reached out and shook the Doctor's hand, " you truly are a marvellous man, Doctor. Good luck! "

Lily grinned and kissed the Doctor's cheek before she and Will rushed for the door.

"Good luck," the Doctor nodded at Will, " once more unto the breach! "

"Oh, I like that," Shakespeare nodded, " wait a minute ... isn't that one of mine? "

" Just move," Lily said, shoving him out of the way of the day and shouting at him to hurry up as they ran down the corridor.

***

When Lily and Will got to the theatre, they hurried through the doors. The actors were on stage, part way through the performance, and Lily looked around at the theatre.

" How are we supposed to stop them? " she asked, " the play has to stop! "

Will shrugged, " Have a little faith in me, Lilyflower. When have I ever let you down? .... oh, well ... don't answer that," he hurried off before Lily had chance to say anything else, and she followed him to the back to the theatre, the pair of them running around backstage as though their lives depended on it ... which they sort of did.

They got backstage and Shakespeare threw the doors open and swaggered onto the stage, closely followed by Lily.

" Stop the play! " he cried, " I'm sorry ladies and gentlemen, but stop. This performance must end immediately. "

"Everyone's a critic," one of the actors moaned.

" It must stop now! " cried Lily

" Who the hell is she? " Lily heard once of the actors mutter to another.

" You will all get a full refund! " shouted Will, " but this play cannot be performed at all! "

The next moment, Will had fallen to the ground, unconscious, and Lily screamed, looking around and trying to figure out what was going on - Carrionites must be around somewhere to make him like this.

" He's drunk," someone said, as the audience all laughed and someone started dragging him away. Lily shouted at them to stop but was pushed out of the way and before she knew it, she saw stumbling, and everything went dark.

When Lily woke up, the first thing she felt was pain. She groaned as she sat up and realised she and Will had just been thrown backstage. She clutched at her head and found that she must have hit it at some point, because in her hairline was a cut, blood gently oozing from it.

She got to her feet only to stumble and she tried to set herself right, leaning over and shaking Will's shoulder. He stirred and when she shouted in his ear, he jerked awake and moaned.

" What's going on? " he asked.

" Need to stop the play! " Lily pointed out, while wiping the blood away with her hand.

The doors burst open and the Doctor and Martha stood there. The Doctor groaned when he saw them, " Stop the play! That was it! All I said was stop the play! "

Lily turned to him and he sucked in a breath, staring at the blood.

His hand shot out, but she swatted it away and pointed towards the stage door, " We need to ... "

The doors of the theatre were flapping open and shut madly, there was wind dashing everywhere around them and wild screams from those watching the play.

" I think that's my cue," the Doctor said, grabbing Lily's hand and hurrying out onto the stage, leaving Martha to pull Will to his feet and drag him out there.

Lily looked around, worried by the fear the people all had, and wondering what they could do about it. Surely there had to be something they could do ... there had to be. The only people not screaming were three haggard looking creatures in the corner, cackling away - the Carrionites. Lily noticed that Lilith was amongst them, which suprised her - she hadn't realised Lilith was one of them.

More Carrionites appeared out of a glass globe that one of the Carrionites held and started flying around. The Doctor turned to Will and grabbed him roughly, " Come on! History needs you! "

" But what can I do? " he asked.

" Reverse it! " the Doctor roared over the wind and the screaming and the cackling.

" How do I do that? " Shakespeare asked, " what should I do? "

" The shape of the Globe gives words their power," the Doctor said quickly, " but you're the wordsmith, the one true genius. The only man clever enough to do it! "

" I have no words ready! "

" You're William Shakespeare! " the Doctor told the other man.

" But - " Will started.

" For God's sake, Will! " Lily shouted, turning to him, her hair strewn across her face and bits of it stuck to the drying blood on her head, " Trust yourself! When you're locked away in your room, the words just come, don't they? Like magic. Words of the right sound, the right shape, the right rhythm - words that last forever! That's what you do, Will! You always choose the perfect words. Do it now! Improvise! "

Will looked into her eyes for a moment and then nodded, filled with more confident from her and from the Doctor. He turned to the theatre and threw out his arms, " Close up this den of hateful, dire decay! Decomposition of your witches' plot! You thieve my brains, consider me your toy. But my doting Doctor tells me I am not! Foul Carrionites spectres, cease your show! Between the poitns ... " he stopped and looked uneasily at the Doctor.

The Doctor shrugged, " 7-6-1-3-9-0. "

" 7-6-1-3-9-0," repeated Shakespeare, " and banished like a tinker's curse, I say to thee ... "

He looked at the Doctor again, who was at a loss. Lily bit her lip, trying to think of something to day, and it was Martha who came up with a word to fit in there, " Expelliarmus! "

" Expelliarmus! " chorused the Doctor and Lily.

" Expelliarmus! " Shakespeare cried.

The Carrionites started screaming, and those out in the air were sucked up into the clouds like a tornado, while others were disappeared, sucked away where no-one would ever see them again. The copies of the play were also sucked up into the air, the papers scattering around.

" Good old JK! " shouted Lily gleefully.

" Loves Labour's Won," sighed the Doctor with a little nod, " there it goes. "

The clouds went away as the last of the Carrionites was sucked up and killed. The audience collectively sighed with relief and then slowly one person began to clap. Others copies and soon the whole theatre was cheering.

The actors shrugged and took their bows, as did Shakespeare.

" They all think it was special effects," muttered Martha.

" Your effect is very special indeed," Shakespeare told Martha while Lily and the Doctor also took their bows.

" Not your best line," Martha told Shakespeare as they all walked away from the stage.

When they were off the edge of the stage and standing safely backstage, Lily looked at the Doctor, " What do we do now? "

He looked around and then back at her after a moment, " I don't know about you, but it's been a long day. Maybe we should spend tonight in the inn before we go back? "

Lily nodded, " Yeah ... I'm up for that. "

Shakespeare grinned, " Me too, if one of you two ladies will accompany me to my room tonight ... "

The Doctor rolled his eyes, " I think both of them will pass on that one. "

They hung around the theatre for a little longer, while Shakespeare congratulated his actors and met some of the audience. When they went back to the inn, they all sat around having a drink, until Martha announced that she was tired.

" Me too," Will nodded, " I think it's time I retired for the night. "

Lily looked at the Doctor and then said quietly, " I'm not tired. Maybe I'll stay down here for a while. " To Martha, she added, " we don't need as much sleep as you lot do. "

" I'll stay up for a bit too," the Doctor said, sensing that Lily had something to tell him, " you go off to bed, Martha, and tomorrow we'll think about getting going. "

Martha looked back at him and was about to say something, but instead, she nodded, " Night. "

She left and Will grinned, " Good night Doctor ... Lilyflower ... "

As Will was heading away, the Doctor called after him, " And no funny business! You leave Martha alone! "

When they were left alone, Lily sighed and ran a hand through her hair. The Doctor looked at her carefully, trying to figure out what was going on with her. She usually told him almost everything, and he was worried that something was wrong with her.

" Do you want to talk? " the Doctor asked her, after they'd sat for silence for almost a full minute.

Lily looked up at him and he was shocked when her eyes almost immediately filled with tears. She furiously blinked away the tears, trying not to feel so emotional about it - it must have been almost a year since Jack died ... she should have gotten over it by now.

Lily bit her lip and then said, " It's Jack. "

The Doctor was quite suprised, because they hadn't spoken much about Jack recently. He knew she still loved Jack, but he thought she was on her way to moving on .. he'd hoped one day she'd find someone better and then she'd be happy.

" Oh? " he asked.

" I ... I started remembering some things," she said, " and now ... now I'm confused. " She sniffed and said, " I don't think Jack died. "

The Doctor's hearts pumped faster. He'd known all along that Jack had come back to life and was safe, but he'd never told Lily, allowing her to think Jack was dead, because he thought that was best for her. He'd come to regret that afterwards when he saw her grieving and realised how much she loved Jack, and how happier she would have been, even if he couldn't see that at the time.

" Lils," he said gently, knowing if he told her the truth, it would only hurt her, since they couldn't change things, " Jack died. "

" I know," Lily said, " but then I don't know. I saw the body - he was dead, but maybe he came back to life ... maybe he was just really really unconsious. Maybe something weird happened and he came back to life or something. "

"He couldn't have," the Doctor said, " what makes you think that? "

Lily told her what she'd thought about Sarah Jane and Martha thinking they'd heard his name before, and then the whole parallel Jack and Ianto thing.

The Doctor shook his head, " He couldn't have died, come back to life, and somehow ended up on 21st century Earth - that's .... it's just not going to have happened. "

" That's what I kind of told myself," Lily said, " but I hoped it would be .... and .... " she sniffed, " and wherever we go, all sorts happens, so I thought maybe it could be possible somehow ... "

" I'm sorry," the Doctor said quietly.

Lily ran a hand through her hair again and said nothing, " I get it," she said, " I was just kidding myself into hoping, because .... because I really want him. "

" I know you do, darling," he said, " but .... "

She nodded, " He's gone. Sometimes I can get that, and I'm fine with it, but other times I can't accept it and I really want him here. "

The Doctor said nothing, and after another minute of silence, Lily stood up.

" I changed my mind," she said, " bit of sleep might do me some good. "

The Doctor stood up too and reached out his arms towards her. She hugged him tightly, clinging to him wordlessly, burying her face against his shoulder. He rested his chin on the top of her head, feeling guilty about all the lies and all the things he was keeping from her, and hating himself for what he was doing, though he knew she'd hate him if he told her the truth.

When they broke apart, the Doctor planted a firm kiss on the top of her head. Lily nodded and then walked away, leaving a very guilty Doctor behind.

***

The next morning, the four of them headed to the Globe Theatre, Lily feeling only marginally better about her worries over Jack, though she still hadn't put them aside, and still wasn't sure that he was dead.

Once they were there, Martha and Shakespeare sat on the edge of the stage, while the Doctor went off to the props area to look around at what was there. Lily stood in the theatre, not far away from Martha and Shakespeare, watching them, but not taking part in the conversation.

The Doctor had told Lily and Martha that they were going to leave soon, so all knew that this was sort of their goodbye to Shakespeare.

Lily listened as Will told Martha a joke. Lily smiled at it slightly, but Martha just shook her head, " I don't get it. "

Will shrugged, " Then tell me a joke from Freedonia. "

Martha grinned, " Well, Shakespeare walks into a bar and the landlord says "Oi mate - you're bard. "

Lily had to smirk at that, and Will laughed though he didn't understand it, " Brilliant! " he said, " it doesn't make sense, mind you, but never mind that. " He wrapped an arm around her waist, " come here. "

" I've only just met you! " Martha protested.

" You'd let a small thing like that stop you? " Will teased, leaning in, though Martha leaned away.

Lily folded her arms, " Honestly, Will. What would Anne have to say about it? You're supposed to be a happily married man .... and here you are, kissing everyone that walks by. "

Will shrugged and stood up, walking towards Lily and leaving Martha sitting on the edge of the stage, " Not getting jealous are you? "

" Of course not," Lily said as he took another step closer, and laid a hand on her cheek. She stared back at him, and he put his other hand on her other cheek, cupping her face in his hands.

" It was good to see again," he said, " really good to see you. I'm glad that you're as beautiful and enchanting as you ever were. "

Lily smiled, wondering what his next move was going to be, and almost panicked when he leaned in. However, his lips met hers very briefly, and the kiss they shared was a friendly goodbye that lasted a second.

When he pulled away, Will dropped his hands from her face with a smile, " Mrs Shakespeare," he said.

Lily nodded, folding her arms over her chest, " Mrs Shakespeare the _first, _and don't you forget it. "

They were interrupted by the Doctor wandering over to them, a ruff around his neck, and carrying an animal skull, " Good props store back there! I'm not sure about this though," he added, looking at the skull, " reminds me of the Sycorax. "

" Sycorax," Will nodded, " nice word. I'll have that off you as well. "

" I should be on ten percent," the Doctor said, tossing the skull aside as the four of them gathered around together, " how's your head? "

" Only aches a little," Will replied.

" Here, I got you this," grinned the Doctor, taking the ruff from around his neck and tossing it around Shakespeare's neck, " neck brace. Wear that for a few days till it's better ... although, you might want to keep it. It suits you. "

" What about the play? " Martha asked.

" Gone," the Doctor replied simply, " I looked all over - every single copy of Loves Labour's Won went up in the sky. "

" My lost masterpiece," Shakespeare sighed.

" You could write it up again," Martha pointed out.

The Doctor pulled a face, " Better not do. There's still power in those words. Maybe it should stay forgotten. "

" You'll have other masterpieces," Lily said, " better ones. "

Will nodded, " I will. I've got many new ideas. Perhaps it's time I wrote about fathers and sons. In memory of my boy - my precious Hamnet. "

" Hamnet? " Martha asked, suprised.

" That's him," Will nodded.

" Ham-_net? " _Martha repeated, while Lily tried to hide a smile - it was always funny when companions get mixed up and said the wrong thing to the wrong people.

" What's wrong with that? " asked Shakespeare.

The Doctor sighed and interrupted, " Anyway, time we were off. I've got to take Martha back to Freedonia. "

" You mean travel on through time and space," Shakespeare said, a statement, and not a question, which shocked Lily - when they'd known each other before, she'd never told him about what they were.

" You what? " she asked quietly.

" You're from another world, like the Carrionites," Shakespeare said, looking at Lily and the Doctor, " and Martha's from the future. It's not hard to work out. "

" That's... that's incredible," the Doctor said.

Shakespeare shrugged and when looked at Lily, " You couldn't have told me before? All that time we used to spend together, and I knew there was something different about you from other women. Then you come back here and your father has a different face and a different body, and you're taking about all sorts of weird things, and you look no older. " He laughed, " of all the women to have a quick snap marriage with ... I choose a time travelling alien. "

The Doctor looked at Shakespeare, his eyes wide, " You are incredible. "

" We're alike in many ways, Doctor. Martha, let me say goodbye to you with a new verse. A sonnet for my Dark Lady - Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate - "

They were interrupted by a pair of young actors running towards then.

" Will! Will! " one of them called, " You'll never believe it. She's here! She's turned up! "

" We're the talk of the town! " another one of them said, " she heard about last night! She wants us to perform it again! "

" Who? " Martha asked.

" Her majesty! " the first young man shouted, " she's here! "

There was a fanfare and several of the Queen's soldiers entered the room before them, followed by a woman in a huge elaborate dress with huge hair and a big ruff around her neck.

" Queen Eizabeth the First! " the Doctor cried, excited.

" Doctor! " Queen Elizabeth shouted, enraged as her face changed the moment she saw him.

" What? " the Doctor demanded.

" My sworn enemy! " she shouted, pointing a finger at him.

" What? "

" Off with his head! " she screeched, while the Doctor could only stare in confusion, while Lily watched him, equally confused.

" What? " he and Lily chorused.

" Never mind what! " Martha shouted at them, a laugh in her voice, " Just run! See you Will! "

" Bye Will," Lily shouted over her shoulder as they started to run away, heading back to where they'd left the TARDIS. As they ran, Lily heard Shakespeare laughing and shouting goodbye after them, while the Queen yelled for her men to catch the Doctor.

Lily, Martha and the Doctor ran as fast as they could through the streets, dodging out of the way of other people and trying to stick together, while keeping far in front of the soldiers.

" Stop in the name of the Queen! " one of the soldiers yelled.

" What have you done to upset her?! " Martha laughed as they ran.

" How should I know? " the Doctor asked, " I haven't met her yet! That's time travel for you! Still, can't wait to find out! " He unlocked the TARDIS as they got there and Martha ran inside.

" Can't wait to find out! " Lily grinned.

The Doctor shoved her inside quickly and ducked as an arrow hit the door of the TARDIS.


	6. Gridlock

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**Author's Note: This is a long chapter and I'm sorry if it doesn't seem neccessary but there was a bit at the end which I needed to use to get the next chapter going. Also, you get to see the Doctor being closer to Martha and trying to save her.**

Chapter Six

Once they were safely inside the TARDIS, and out of the way of flying arrows and the furious soldiers of Queen Elizabeth the First, Lily looked around at Martha and the Doctor, all of whom were suprised by what had happened, and wanted to know more about it.

" Well. That was certainly an entertaining day," Lily said, hands on hips as she looked at the Doctor, " any idea what you've done to offend _her? _Or what you're going to do to offend her? "

The Doctor shrugged, " I don't know," he said as he moved over to the console.

Lily grinned, " I bet you kissed her. "

He raised his eyebrows, " Kissed her? "

Lily shrugged, " Or something. Maybe you broke her heart ... oooh, maybe you married her. That would be brilliant. Or maybe you ended up inside the palace and wrecked it or something. Maybe ... "

" Alright, enough already with the maybe," the Doctor said, though he was still in a good mood, as he flipped a few levers.

Martha stood at the other end of the console room, watching him with a dark expression on her face, " What now? " she asked - and Lily could see the worry on her face, guessing that Martha didn't want to go back home, " I suppose you'll send me home. "

The Doctor looked up at her with a grin, " One trip - that's what I said. One trip in the TARDIS and then home. Although ... "

Lily grinned too, guessing what he was going to say.

" I suppose we could stretch the definition," he continued, " we could try one trip to the past and one to the future. How do you fancy that? "

" No complaints from me! " Martha nodded, thrilled. The Doctor was at the console, and Lily caught Martha's eye. Martha grinned with pure excitement and Lily smiled at her, happy to have someone new on board.

" How about a different planet? " the Doctor asked.

" Can we go to yours? " Martha asked.

The Doctor turned away and Lily's own excitement faded a little, though she tried not to let it show. Lily was suprised, however, when the Doctor just shrugged and said, " Ah, there's plenty of other places. "

Lily knew how much the Time War had hurt her father, as he'd lost everything. Lily on the other had, had only been a couple of years old and had no real memory of life on Gallifrey - all she could remember was travelling in the TARDIS. Her mother had died in the Time War, and Lily barely remembered the 10 or so years that she and both of her parents had lived together happily. She had only a handful of memories of her mother.

" Come on," Martha said, oblivious, " I mean, Planet of the Time Lords, that's got to be worth a look. What's it like? "

Lily loved hearing stories about Gallifrey, though they were so rarely told to her, and she listened with interest as he answered, " Well, it's beautiful, yeah. "

" Is it like outer space cities? " Martha asked, " spires and stuff? "

" I suppose it is," the Doctor replied as Lily moved closer to him to stand beside him, while Martha carried on talking completely oblivious to their feelings, and lost in her cheerful dreaming.

" Are there great big temples and cathedrals? " Martha asked.

" Yeah," the Doctor said.

Lily gave him a sharp look, wondering why he was leading her to believe that Gallifrey was still there. Not that it mattered what Martha knew about Gallifrey, but she couldn't understand why he was lying about it.

" Lots of planets in the sky? " Martha went on.

" The Sky's a burnt orange," the Doctor told her, " with Citadel enclosed in a mighty glass dome, shining under twin suns. Beyond that, the mountains go on forever - slopes of deep red grass, capped with snow. "

" Can we go there? " Martha asked, utterly enthralled. It was enough to make Lily want to go there right away too, even though she knew that they couldn't.

" Nah! " the Doctor replied, moving on quickly, " Where's the fun for me? I don't want to go home. Instead ... this is so much better! " He fiddled with the controls, " year 5 billion and 53, planet Earth! Second hope of mankind! "

Lily raised her eyebrows at him, " You've brought us here? "

" What's wrong with that? " he asked, almost defensively.

" Nothing," Lily said quickly, deciding not to voice her opinion that taking a new companion to the same places he took Rose might not be such a good idea for him - he couldn't keep living in the past, could he?

" Right," he nodded, turning back to Martha, " then this is slap bang in the middle of New New York. Although technicaly it's the fifteenth New York since the original, so that makes it New New New New New New New New New New New New New New New York. One of the most dazzling cities ever built! "

He grinned and buttoned up his coat, hurring towards the door. When he opened the door and hurried out with excitement, Lily and Martha followed and found that it was raining - pouring rain.

" Time Lord version of dazzling," Martha said, shaking her head.

" A bit of rain never hurt anyone," the Doctor shrugged, " let's get undercover. "

Lily laughed and stuck out her arms - she loved the rain, for reasons she'd never been too sure of. But she loved been outside in the pouring rain, when no-one else was around and there was that odd sort of smell that didn't happen anywhere else.

They walked through the street and as they rounded a corner, Lily started looking around at where they were - it was a world away from the New New York they'd been to before. This place was slummy, with the street deserted, the road full of roads, bits of junk all over the street and laundry swinging from lines.

" Looks like the same old Earth to me," Martha said, disappointed, and Lily had to admit that she was quite disappointed with the place too.

" Hold on ... let's have a look ... " the Doctor said.

On one wall down the alleyway was a television screen, though it looked dead. He pulled out the sonic screwdriver and made all of the static on the tv disappear, banging on it until a picture came into view. It was a news report, with a young woman there, giving a report.

The newsreader was saying something about driving been easy because the New Jersey Expressway was open. The image on the screen suddenly shifted, and then they were looking at a much better New New York - a gorgeous spired city, on the coast of a large river, with sleek flying ships zooming around in the air.

" That's more like it!" Lily grinned.

The Doctor nodded, " The New New York we had last time. This must be the lower levels. Some sort of under-city. "

" You brought me to the slums? " Martha asked, irritated, though Lily noticed the smile there.

" Ah, this is much more interesting," he shrugged, " it's all cocktails and glamour up there - the real world's down here. "

" You'd enjoy anything," Martha said, causing Lily to look at her quickly. Martha hadn't known them long and already she knew a lot about the Doctor. And she'd managed to fall for the Doctor. Lily couldn't help but be annoyed at Martha for falling in love with the Doctor who still loved Rose, but she knew Martha couldn't help it - love was love, so then she felt sorry for her.

" The rain's stopped! " Lily said, looking up at the skies, " I like a bit of rain ... then again, I like a bit of sun too. Ah well, this day gets better and better. "

Martha cleared her throat, " When you say "last time", was that you and Lily? You and Rose? "

" Um .. yeah," the Doctor said after a slight pause, " me, my darling daughter and ... and Rose. "

" You're taking me to the same planets you took her? " asked Martha, annoyed. Lily winced when she heard the tone of Martha'd voice and mentally wished her Dad good luck in getting out of this one.

" What's wrong with that? " the Doctor asked, oblivious as always to a lot of romantic things.

" Nothing," Martha said, a new tone - more huffy - in her voice. " Just ... ever heard the word rebound. " And with that, she pushed past the Doctor, annoyed, but stopped when one of the large green boxes in the stret was flipped open to reveal a street vendor's cart.

Lily looked at the cart in suprise and suddenly, other carts around them started to open up, more and more at a time, while the people cheered and called to them.

" Oh, you should have said! " shouted one man from inside his cart, " Happy! You want Happy! "

" Customers! We got customers! " another man shouted.

" We're in business! " a third stall keeper shouted, " Mother, open up the Mellow and the Read! "

The first man laughed, " Happy! Happy, lovely Happy! "

" Anger! " the second said louder, " but some Anger! "

" No, buy mellow," the third said, " make you feel all bendy and relaxed! "

The first man scoffed, " They'll rip you off, sir! You want to buy some Happy? "

" No thanks," replied the Doctor, as they all looked around trying to take in what was going on.

" Are they selling drugs? " asked Martha, incredulously.

" I think they're selling moods," the Doctor said.

" Isn't that the same thing? " asked Martha.

Other people started to walk down the stret behind them, most of them bedraggled and dishevelled. They attratced more cries from the stall keepers, all vying for the same customers. A pale woman dressed in dark clothes walked slowly but purposefully towards one of the stalls

" Over here sweetheart! " called the man who ran the first stall, " That's it - come on! "

"No, over here! Buy some anger! " shouted the second.

" What can I get you, my love? " the middle aged woman who ran another stall called.

" I want to buy Forget," the pale young woman - who looked like she'd been through a lot - replied. Lily instantly felt sorry for this woman.

" I've got Forget," the older woman nodded, " what strength? How much do you want to forget? "

" It's my mother and father," the young woman replied, " they went on the motorway. "

The pharmacist woman reached behind her and pulled out a small circular token, handing it to her customer and naming a price. The younger woman paid for it and then turned away sadly, holding the token in her hand.

" Sorry," Lily said, moving forward before the woman could take the token or whatever it was, " hold on a minute - where are your parents? You alright? "

" They drove off," the pale young woman replied, no tone to her voice.

" They might drive back," the Doctor said, trying to help.

" Everyone goes to the motorway in the end," the woman replied sadly, " I've lost them. "

" They can't have gone far," the Doctor said simply, " you could find them. "

The young woman was no longer listening, and just looked at him with dead eyes. She sighed and looked at the token before sticking it to her neck. The Doctor tried to shout at her to stop, but it was too late. Once the token was applied, the expression on the woman's face changed right away. She now looked a little unaware of her surroundings.

" I'm sorry," the woman said, " what were you saying? "

" Your mother and father," Lily said gently, " they're on the motorway. "

" Are they? " the woman asked, " that's nice. "

Martha looked at the woman in disbelief, and Lily looked suprised, and a little confused. The woman left them and they watched her go - Lily hadn't seen anything like that before, and didn't know what to make of it - the Doctor however had had an extra 700 or so years of phonebox travel, and looked disturbed, but not suprised.

" Off their heads on chemicals," Martha said scornfully.

As she said that, three figures sprung from behind her, all carrying guns and dressed in dark clothes. One man grabbed Martha from behind and dragged her off as the other two pointed guns at Lily and the Doctor, while they dragged Martha away

.

Lily was shocked by what was going on and wondered what the hell was going on. She wanted to do something and grab Martha, but they had a gun to her.

" I'm really sorry," one said, " we just need four - that's all - I'm really sorry. "

" Let her go! " the Doctor shouted as the captors moved away, " I'm warning you, let her go! Whatever you want, I can help, we all can, but first you've got to let her go! "

" I'm sorry," one of the other gun people - a woman - said, " really, I am. Sorry. "

The woman repeated her apologies, almost crying, as the two men and she left, dragging Martha with them, leaving and slamming a big green door behind them. The Doctor groaned and began to wrestly with the door, while Lily watched him.

" We've got to get to her," the Doctor said, " if anything happens to her ... we need her back. "

" We'll get her," Lily said, searching the many pockets in her coat until she found a long thin object that she knew would help them. She pulled out her Laser Spanner, which she loved but hardly ever used because the Doctor usually solved things with his Screwdriver. She bit her lip in concentration and then scanned the door, a flash of green light coming from the end of the spanner.

" There! " she said, pleased with herself as the door swung open.

" Nice work," the Doctor nodded, " now run! "

They ran as fast as they could down the corridor where Martha had been dragged down, but there was no sign of her. They ran as fast as they could until they got to the end of the corridor, and the only thing there was a fire escape.

The Doctor barrelled through it and Lily followed. When they got there, a vechicle pulled away - a vehicle that they'd taken Martha away in. It pulled away and the Doctor shouted Martha's name in horror.

Lily laid a hand on his arm, " Dad, we'll get her back," she said, insistent, " we're going to get her back. How about we go and ask those pharmacists what they know. "

The Doctor agreed and they were soon back in the alleyway where the pharmacists sold their different moods. The stalls were all closed up, but the Doctor was now livid and pounded on one of the carts.

When it flipped open, there was the Happy seller, " Thought you'd come back! " he said with a grin, " Do you want some happy? Happy? "

" Those people - who were they? " the Doctor demanded, furious and not going to take any rubbish any more, " where did they take her? "

" They've taken her to the motorway," replied another pharmacist.

" Looked like carjackers to me," the Happy man said.

" I'd give up now, darling," another stall keeper said, " you won't see her again. "

" Used to be thriving, this place," yet another one said, opening her stall up, " you couldn't move. But they all go to the motorway in the end. "

The Doctor groaned and whirled around, staring at them all and getting more and more mad, " Someone tell me! " he demanded, " They said four, we need four. Why four "

" It's the car-sharing policy," said the Happy seller, " it's supposed to save fuel. You get special access if you're carrying four adults. "

" How do we get to the motorway? " Lily asked, a lot quieter than the Doctor was being.

" Straight down the alley love," replied an elderly woman from another stall, " keep going to the end, and you can't miss it. "

The Doctor was already striding off in that direction, and Lily followed quickly, while the pharmacists called after them, trying to sell a few more things before the pair of them left.

They were at the end of the street when the Doctor turned around and almost walked into Lily. He laid a hand on Lily's arm and pulled her behind him a little, " Word of advice to all of you! " he called to the stall keepers, " cash up. Close down. Pack your bags. "

" Why's that, then? " asked someone.

" Because," the Doctor said, " as soon as I've found Martha Jones, alive and well - and I _will _find her alive and well - then I'm coming back. And this street is closing. Tonight. "

***

They hurried down the streets and neither of them said a word, too determined on making sure that they had Martha back - they were the ones who'd taken her away and none of her family knew where she was. Martha was their responsibility and they needed to save her now.

The pair of them rushed down a deserted corridor, and they reached a door with a huge sign over it - Motorway Access.

" That's handy," Lily said with a nod.

The Docotr whipped out the sonic screwdriver and forced the huge door open. The door opened with a clang and the Doctor stepped onto a platform. Lily followed him and they both spluttered and coughed at once as they were surrounded by shrouds of dark fumes from the exhausts of hundreds of cars.

The Doctor reached out in the dark mess and grasped Lily's hand. She found his hand and clung on tightly, pulling herself closer to him.

They looked around and saw the largest traffic jam imaginable, and Lily tried to say something, but coughed again with the fumes.

" Hey! " a voice called as a car pulled up near them and a large figure with protective clothing appeared in the doorway of the car, " you daft things - what are you doing, standing there? Either get in or get out of here! Come on! "

Coughing more and more, Lily stumbeld towards the car, where the Doctor pulled her through.

" Did you ever see the like? " asked the man. Only, now Lily saw he wasn't a man, but he saw a cat, like the Novices she'd seen at the hospital. He was wearing a long scarf around his neck that covered the lower half of his face, and as he sat down, he sat next to a dark haired woman who smiled at the new comers.

" Here you go," she said, handing oxygen masks to both Lily and the Doctor.

" Just standing there, breathing it in! " the cat man exclaimed, his voice thick with a distinctive Irish accent, " you know, there's this story says back in the old days, this woman stood in the exhaust fumes for a solid 20 minutes. By the time they found her, her head had swollen to 50 feet! "

" Oh, you're making that up," said the woman - preumably his wife. The woman suddenly sat upright, " We're moving! " she grinned.

The cat man pulled a lever on the console and the engines started to whir. They moved forwards and after a couple of seconds, stopped dead.

" Twenty yards," cat man said, " we're having a good day. "

Lily sighed as she looked around the small car and pulled off her gas mask, now much better for breath. The Doctor took off his mask too and the pair of them exchanged a look.

" And who might you two be? " asked the cat man, " very well dressed for a pair of hitchikers. "

" Thanks," the Doctor nodded.

The woman shook her head at them, " Honestly," she said, " it's no way to start married life, you know," she told the, " not going anyway, and having no car. You'll never get anywhere! "

" Oh, we're not amrried," Lily said quickly, " God no. "

The Doctor smirked, " I'm the Doctor, and this is my daughter, Lily. " He didn't even bother lying to say she was someone else, since they always ended up dropping the charade in the end.

" You do look remarkably well," the cat man told the Doctor, " you must be older than you look, to have a girl this age. And you're a medical man? Well my name's Thomas Kincade Brannigan - you call me Brannigan. And this here's the bane of my life, the lovely Valerie. "

" Nice to meet you," Valerie said.

Brannigan pointed towards the back of the car, " And over there's the rest of the family. "

The Doctor turned around and drew a curtain, revealing a little litter of kittens. Lily smiled and told the parents how beautiful their kittens were, reaching out to stroke one of them. She thought they were all gorgeous, and was distracted for a short while from what was going on around them.

" How old are they?" Lily asked, turning around again to face Brannigan and Valerie.

"Just two months," Valerie replied.

" Poor little souls," Brannigan said softly, " they've never known the ground beneath their paws - they're children of the motorway. "

" Born in here? " the Doctor asked, suprised.

" We couldn't stop," Valerie said, glowing, " we heard there were jobs going out in the laundries on Fire Island. Thought we'd take the chance. "

" You've been driving for two months? " the Doctor asked, now on the alert.

" Oh god no! " Brannigan laughed, " it's been 12 years now! "

" What? " Lily asked, shaking her head.

" Yeah," Brannigan nodded, " started out as newlyweds. Feels like yesterday! "

As Valerie and Brannigan teased each other, the Doctor and Lily stared at them and then exchanged identical looks of confusion, both knowing that something wasn't right.

" Twelve years? " the Doctor demanded, " how far did you come? Where did you start from? "

" Battery Park," Valerie replied simply," bout five miles back. "

" You travelled five miles in twelve years? " the Doctor asked loudly and incredulously - that was just ridiculous.

Brannigan rolled his eyes at Valerie and asked Lily, " Is he a little slow? Where are you from? "

"Never mind that," the Doctor said quickly, before Lily could reply, " I've got to get out of here. Our friend is in one of these cars. She was taken hostage. I've got to get to her. " He opened the door only to cough at all the fumes and shut it again.

" You're too late for that! " Brannigan called, " we've passed the lay-by now! You're both our passengers now! "

" When's the next lay-by? " Lily asked, " he's right - we really need to get out of here. We gotta find out friend! "

" About ... six months, I reckon," Brannigan said.

The Doctor groaned and ran a hand through his hair and Lily sighed too. She reached out, always a touchy person, and laid a hand on his arm, " Dad, we'll find her. You can do anything. We'll find her. "

The Doctor nodded and Lily only wished she could believe her own words. Sometimes nothing seemed right.

" Isn't there anyone I can phone? " the Doctor asked, approaching the controls, " the police or someone? "

"You can try it," Brannigan said, " but I don't know that the'll have much luck! "

The Doctor took a transmitter and made a call to the police, trying to get through to them. They only replied that he was on hold, and he slammed the phone down in frustration.

" We once met the Duke of Manhattan," Lily told Brannigan," can we get through to him? "

" Oh, aren't you lordy? " asked Brannigan with a scoff, " and anyway, you can't make outside calls - the motorway is completely enclosed. "

" Other cars? " asked the Doctor hopefully.

" Oh, we've got contacts with them, yeah," Brannigan said, causing Lily to smile, thinking this was their way of doing it, " well some of them, anyway. Now let's see - who's nearby ... Ah! The Cassini sisters! "

He held the transmitter to his mouth and called, " Still you hearts girls, it's Brannigan here! "

" Brannigan! " one woman- Alice - called, " you're a pest and a menace! "

" Oh come on now, sisters," Brannigan replied, " is that anyway to talk to an old friend? "

"You know full and well we're not sisters," came Alice's reply, as the others in the car could hear everything that was going on. Lily and the Doctor listened carefully and intruiged.

" I've got hitchhikers here, " Brannigan told them, " Lily and the Doctor. "

The Doctor grabbed the transmitter and took over, while Lily watched anxiously, " Hello. Sorry, I'm looking for a friend of mine - Martha Jones. She's been carjacked. She's in one of these cars, but I don't know which one. "

" Hold on a minute," replied the other woman - May, " what entrance did they use? "

" Where are we? " Lily asked Brannigan quietly.

" Pharmacy town," he said.

" Pharmacy town! " the Doctor replied quickly

" Let's have a look," May said. There was a pause, before she added, " in the last 30 minutes, 53 cars have joined from Pharmacy Town ... was she carjacked by three people? "

"Yeah! " the Doctor replied quickly, desperate for an answer.

" Well there you are then," May said, " Just one of those cars was designated for the fast lane. That means they had four on board. And .... yes, here we are ... the car number is 465 diamond 6. "

" Brilliant! " the Doctor replied," now how do we get there? "

" Now, there I'm afraid I can't help," said May, sounding a little disappoitned about that, and honestly sorry.

" Call them on this thing," Lily suggested, " we've got their number now. "

" Not if they're heading for the fast lane," Valerie informed them, " it's a different class. "

" You could try to police! " Alice chipped in over the transmitter.

" They put me on hold," the Doctor said bitterly.

" You'll have to try," Alice said, " there's no-one else. "

The Doctor thanked the woman and handed Brannigan the reciever, where Brannigan put it back. Lily looked at him and they exchanged a quick look, while Lily wondered what their next move was going to be.

" We've got to go to the fast lane," said the Doctor, " take us down there ... that's where we need to be. "

" Not in a million years. "

" You've got four passengers now," the Doctor pointed out.

" I'm still not going," Brannigan argued, his face set in stone, with a look that told the pair of tem that he wasn't going to budge anytime soon.

" She's alone and she's lost! " the Doctor said, trying to stress his point, " she doesn't belong on this planet, and it's my fault. I'm asking you, Brannigan - please take us down there. "

" No," Valerie said quickly and strongly, " That's final. I'm not risking the children down there. "

" What's the risk? " the Doctor asked, " what happens down there? "

" The conversation is closed! " Valerie said.

The Doctor sighed, " So we keep on driving. For how long? "

" Until the journey's end," Brannigan said.

Lily sniffed up and all she wanted to do was scream in frustration, no idea what on earth - or what in outer space - they were going to do now. And more importantly, what was down there - how they could get Martha back.

The Doctor groaned and reached over to snatch up the transmitter again, " Mrs Cassini, this is the Doctor again. Tell me, how long have you been travelling on the motorway? "

" Oh, we were amongst the first," replied Alice over the transmitter, her voice filling up the car, " it's been 23 years now. "

" And in all of that time, have you ever seen a police car? " asked the Doctor. Lily listened anxiously and saw the uneasy look that passed between Valerie and Brannigan as they considered this.

" I'm not sure," May replied finally.

" Look at your notes," the Doctor suggested, " any police? Fire service? Ambulance? Rescue service? Anything official at all? Ever? "

" I can't keep note of everything," said May quietly.

" What if there's no-one? " the Doctor said, his voice low.

Suddenly, Brannigan reached up and angrily took away the transmitter, slamming it down, and telling the Doctor to stop it. The Doctor sighed and ran a hand through his messy hair and then turned to everyone in the room, " Someone's got to ask. Cause you might not talk about it, but it's there. In your eyes," he looked at Brannigan, " what if the traffic jam never stops? "

" There's a whole city above us," Brannigan pointed out, " the mighty state of New New York. They wouldn't just leave us. "

" In that case, where are they? " the Doctor asked, " what if there's no help coming, not ever? What if there's nothing? Just the motorway, with the cars going around and around and around, never stopping. Forever? "

" Shut up! " Valerie shouted all of a sudden, " just shut up! "

The Doctor almost jumped back in spuprise and Lily looked at Valerie, feeling sorry for she and all of the others who could be stuck here forever. The screen started to flicker, and a news report came onto the screen, with the same newreader as earlier on, in the alleyway.

" You think you know us so well," Brannigan said to the Doctor, " but we're not alone. Not while we have each other. "

Valerie smiled at her husband.

" This is for all you on the roads out there," the newsreader said, " we're so sorry. Drive safe. "

A slow song came over the radio, and Brannigan and Valerie started to sing softly. Lily watched, amazed by how these people led such a sheltered life, on this motorway forever, and yet were happy enough because the had each other. She wished she still had Jack, and the slow, sad hymn only made her feel worse.

A hand touched her shoulder lightly and she looked up to see the Doctor standing there. He smiled at her and slid an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to him. She turned into him and buried her face against his shoulder while he hugged her and stroked her hair down flat.

" This is awful," she said to him.

" I know, darling," he said, hugging her to him, " and we're going to get out of here. " Quieter, he added, "we need to get to the fast lane, and if these won't take us there, we're going to get there ourselves. "

" They said it was dangerous," Lily said, " we don't know what's down there. "

" I know," the Doctor said, pulling away and looking at her, " and I wouldn't take you down there and risk you being safe, but we need Martha back. And nothing's going to happen to you, because I'll be there, right? "

Lily nodded and they stayed in silence until the music stopped.

The Doctor dropped his arm from Lily and turned to Brannigan, " If you won't take us, we'll have to go on our own. "

With that, he pulled out his screwdriver and examined the floor, while Lily watched carefully and the others stared in shock.

" What do you think you're doing? " Brannigan asked.

" Don't mind him," Lily grinned in spite of the situation, " we're finding our own way - we're used to it. "

The next moment, a door in the floor had opened, and the Doctor was crouched over it, looking down. Lily came to stand near him and looked down too, staring at hundreds of cars below them. A car pulled up directly below, and the Doctor nodded at Lily, who knew exactly what to do.

" Here we go," he told her, " you'll be fine, and I'm going to follow you right down. "

Lily shrugged, " Relax, I can do it. "

"You can't jump! " Valerie said, shocked by the pair of them.

" If it's any consolation," the Doctor said, with a lighthearted little shrug, " _I'm _having kittens right now. "

" This Martha," Brannigan started, " she must mean an awful lot to you. "

Lily laughed and the Doctor shook his head in reply, " Not at all. Hardly know her. I was too busy showing off, and I couldn't help it - just lied. Bye then! "

He laid a hand on Lily's back and she bit her lip nervously before bracing herself - she'd done worse things than this. She nodded to herself and the next minute, she'd jumped right out of the car and landed with a thump on the car below. She laughed at the way she'd managed it much easier than she thought, and the next moment, the Doctor had landed beside her, grinning madly.

He opeed the door to the car and they both jumped in, suprising a pale man all dressed in white.

" Who the hell are you? " he demanded.

" Sorry, Motorway Foot Patrol," the Doctor said, " doing a survey - how are you enjoying your time on the motorway? "

" Well not very much! " replied the man while the Doctor worked on unlocking the next door, " Junction Five's been closed for three years! "

" Thank you," the Doctor grinned, " your comments have been noted. Have a nice day! After you," he added to Lily. Lily nodded and this time was more confident as she leapt down onto the next car.

This time, they were in the car with two young asian women. Lily spluttered as they landed, and reached out to take a scarf from a laundry line across the car, " Mind if I borrow this? You wouldn't believe the fumes out there! "

The girls looked stunned and Lily took the scarf, tying it over her mouth to protect herself, as the Doctor took one and did the same. Then he opened the door and they went off to the next car.

When they landed in this one, a completely naked couple were sitting at the front of the car.

" Don't mind us," the Doctor said cheerily.

" Ugh," Lily complained as they jumped down to the next car, " I think I'm scarred for life. "

A few more jumps later, and Lily had to admit that although this wasn't a good situation, it was fun jumping from car to car, if it wasn't for the exhaust fumes that choked them as they breathed them in.

By the time they got to another car, the Doctor took up and ripped the scarf away, leaning over as he coughed, while Lily did the same and coughed loudly.

" Is that legal? " asked a business man in a smart suit stood there.

" Motorway Foot Patrol," the Doctor said, coughing too much to finish it, " whatever - have you got a glass of water or two? "

" Certainly," the businessman nodded, " never let it be said that I've lost my manners. "

Lily gratefully accepted a cup and drained the water almost immediately, muttering her thankyous.

"Is this the last layer of cars? " the Doctor asked hopefully.

" Ah, we're right at the bottom," the man replied, " nothing below us but the fast lane. "

" Can we drive down? " the Doctor pressed.

" We've only got three people," the man said, shaking his head, " we need four. "

Lily smiled slightly, " Couldn't we just cheat? Surely that's more of a guidline than an actual rule? "

" I'd love to cheat, but it's an automated system - the wheel would just lock," came the disappointing reply.

The Doctor went to open the door at the bottom of the car and opened it, looking down. Lily watched him, hoping he didn't want to jump all the way down there.

" We can't jump that," she told him, " that's ... we won't make that. "

" I'm just having a look," he replied carefully, continuing to look down there. Lily joined him, and saw there was a dark murky fog, dotted with tiny lights. Faintly, from the distance came a roaring sound.

" What's the noise? " Lily asked the business man.

He winced, " I try not to think about it. "

" What's down there? " she asked, more to herself.

There was more smoke and the Doctor shook his head, muttering something about needing to see. He run to the screen by the steering wheel and pointed his screwdriver at him, that maniac look in his eyes as he thought of more and more.

" There must be some sort of ventilation," the Doctor said, occasionaly glancing at Lily as he spoke, " if I could just transmit a pulse through this thing, maybe I could trip the system to give us a bit of a breeze. "

Lily watched him fondly as he worked away, playing with the wiring at the front of the console. One of the wires snapped in his hand and he grinned.

" That's it! Might shift the fumes a bit, give us a good look! "

The three of them gathered around the door again, looking out there.

" What are those shapes? " asked the business man, as they looked upon huge snapping claws in the mist.

" They're ... are they alive? " Lily asked, suprised.

" What the hell are they? " asked the man.

They now appeared to be very large crabs, grabbing at cars, and Lily's eyes widened, realising what they were - she'd seen them a long time ago.

" Macra," the two time travellers said in unison, Lily's hearts pounding faster as she thought of Martha and the danger she was in.

" Macra? " asked the businessman, frowning.

" Macra used to be the scourge of the galaxy," said the Doctor, " Gas. They feed off gas, the filthier the better. They built up a small empire using humans as slaves and mining gas for food. That was billions of years ago. Billions. They must've evolved through the years and now they're just beasts. But they're still hungry and my friend's down there. "

There was a clank on top of the businessman's car and he sighed, " For God's sake! It's like New Times Square in here! "

A pair of feet dangled down from the top of the car and the Doctor looked up with a grin, " Oh, this is brilliant! I've invented a sport! "

Lily rolled her eyes and told the businessman, " There'll be no living with him after this. He's always wanted to invent a sport, but the closest he ever got was invented the banana daquiri a few centuries earlier. "

Their visitor dropped into the car with them, and Lily recognised the cat woman at once.

" Doctor, you're a hard man to find," she said, " you and your daughter are so difficult to find. You've both got to come with me. "

" Do I know you? " the Doctor asked.

Lily smiled, " Dad, it's - "

Novice Hame interrupted her, telling the Doctor, " You haven't aged at all - time has been less kind to me. "

" Novice Hame! " the Doctor grinned, embracing her before shaking his head and pushing her away a little, " no, get off, hang on a minute. Last time we met, you were breeding humans for experiments. "

" I've sought forgiveness, " Hame told them, " for so many, many years, under his guidance. If you come with me, I will finally be able to redeem myself. "

Lily cleared her throat and cut in, " We'd really love to, but we can't go anywhere. There's Macra running around underneath the city! Macra! And our friend's stuck down there - if she's still alive, that is. "

" You've got to come with me now! " Hame told them desperately.

" We're not going anywhere! " the Doctor protested," in fact, you're coming with us. We've got four passengers now. "

Hame wasn't having none of it and apologised as she took hold of Lily's wrist and pressed the green button on her wristwatch, which flashed and said, " Transport. " Then Hame managed to get hold of of the Doctor's arm too.

" Don't you dare! " the Doctor shouted, though it was too late, because they vanished in a haze of white smoke, the Doctor still shouting at Hame to take them back.

Lily groaned when they landed, landing hard on the floor, laying on the dusty floor on a unkept, littered room. She coughed and pulled a face, while the Doctor took both of her hands and pulled her to her feet.

" Oh, rough teleport," the Doctor said as they three of them got to their feet and dusted themselves down, " oh, ow. But you can go right back there and teleport all of those people out, starting with Martha. "

" I cannot," Hame said," I only have power enough for one trip. "

"Then get some more! " the Doctor suggested, " where are we? "

" High above, in the over-city," answered Hame.

" Good," the Doctor nodded, " becuse you can tell the senate of New New York that I want a word with them. Millions of people trapped on that motorway! "

" This _is _the Senate," answered Hame.

The three of them looked up and Lily was horrified to see rows of seats in a chamber above them, all of them filled with skeletons. There was even a decaying skeleton on the ground not so far away. Lily stared at it, disturbed, and how no idea what to make of it -it was just awful.

"They died," said Hame, " all of them. "

"How long? " Lily asked quietly, horrified.

" 24 years," said the cat nurse.

" Everyone? " Lily asked, while the Doctor leant over the nearby skeleton, inspecting the body, and looking truly horrified, " all of them? What happened? "

" A new chemical," Hame told them, " they called it Bliss. Everyone tried it and they couldn't stop. A virus mutated inside the compound and it became airbourne. Everything perished - even the virus, in the end. It killed the world in 7 minutes flat. There was just enough time to close down the walkways and flyovers, sealing off the undercity. Those people on the motorway aren't stuck, Doctor, Lily. They were saved. "

The Doctor stood up and looked around, struck by the urgency of the situation, " Listen, the whole thing is running down there on automatic? "

" There's just not enough power to get them out," Novice Hame told them, " we did all we could to stop them from choking. "

" Who's we? " Lily asked.

" How did you survive? " the Doctor added.

Hame smiled, brightening up, " He saved me," she told them," and he's waited for you both all these long years. "

There was a low rumbling, and not far away, and low voice spoke, " Doctor and the daughter," he said.

Lily smiled as she and the Doctor rushed over to where the Face of Boe was being kept in his huge glass cage. They knelt in front of him exactly as they had done the last time they saw him.

Lily thought about the last time they'd met - he'd said he had a secret to tell the both of them, and a litte something extra to tell Lily. Lily couldn't wait to find out what it was, and she hoped it would be something interesting - Boe was so enigmatic that it had to be something big, she was sure of it.

" Face of Boe," the Doctor breathed.

" I knew you would come," rumbled the Face of Boe.

" Back in the old days," Hame explained, " I was made his nurse, as a penance for my sins. "

" What happened to you? " Lily asked quietly and politely.

" Failing," Boe replied.

Once again, Hame cut in, " He protected me from the virus by shrouding me in his smoke. But with no-one to maintain it, the City's power died. The under-city would have fallen into the sea. "

" So he saved them," Lily said, nodding in understanding as she thought about how great the Face of Boe was.

" The Face of Boe wired himself into the mainframe. He's giving his lifeforce just to keep things running," Hame said sadly.

" There are planets out there, though," the Doctor said, " you could have called for help. "

" No," said Hame, trying to make them understand, " the last act of the Senate was to declare new Earth unsafe. The automatic quarantine lasts for 100 years. "

The Doctor looked at the Face of Boe, concerned and then got to his feet, though Lily stayed where she saw, looking up at the face. There something about him that she couldn't explain - something mystical that she felt drawn to.

" So the two of you stayed here," the Doctor stayed.

Hame nodded, " We had no choice. "

The Doctor watched her for a moment, before turning away and looking around the room, " Right," he said, " I need to get to a computer. Lils, I need your help on this one ... c'mon, gather around. "

She smiled a little and got up from where she knelt, looking at the Face of Boe for a moment. As she looked, she could have sworn the old creature winked at her, but she told herself she was imagining things, and turned to her dad.

He was standing in front of a screen and she came to stand with him, watching in slight amusement as he whipped out his glasses and slipped them on.

" I'm doing a search," he told her, " we need to look to see if Martha's car is still there, otherwise we're in big trouble. "

Lily nodded and leant over his shoulder, waiting for a moment before suddenly pointing at the screen, " There it is! Car 4-6-5-diamind-6 - it still registers! That's Martha ... I knew she was good ... means she hasn't let them go down yet ... she's fine. "

He nodded and jumped back from the screen, handing Hame a piece of thick tubing and telling her to hold it in place. Once she was holding it, he ran across the long length of it, jumping over a box of lights and buttons.

" Think, think, think," he told himself loudly, " take the residual energy, feed it through the electricity beds. "

" There isn't enough power," Hame argued.

" You've got power," the Doctor replied, running to the other end of the room, where there were three large screens, " you've got me! I'm brilliant with computers! Yeah! "

He grinned and pointed at Lily and then at a large computer bank at the other end of the room, " Turn every switch up to maximum, you hear me? "

Lily did as she was told, and next the Doctor turned knobs and wheels, muttering to himself as he did so. " All this city needs is people! " he shouted after a moment.

" What are you going to do? " asked Hame.

" This! " the Doctor said, flipping a switch. Lily watched with anticipation as all the lights on the console went out, and her face dropped.

" Dad! " she shouted, " do something! "

The Doctor groaned with frustration and then was kneeling on the floor, waving his sonic screwdriver at the consoles.

" The transformers are blocked! " he shouted, " the signal can't get through! "

" Doctor ... " the Face of Boe gasped.

" One moment," said the Doctor, though the Lily turned around to see what the old creature wanted.

" I give you my last ... " the Face of Boe said lightly, letting out a long, rasping breath, making every console swith back on. Lily smiled happily - everything was working. Everything was fine and they were going to be alright.

" Oh," the Doctor nodded, " now we're alright - Hame, look after him. "

Novice Hame went off to take care of the Face of Boe while the Doctor went around to the console again.

" You hold on, right? " Lily said, looking at the Face of Boe over her shoulder, " you'll want to see this. Oh, the open road. "

She went over to her Dad's side, and watched intruiged as he opened the doors at the top of the motorway and allowed the light to splil in. Lily smiled thinking about all those people who would be able to get out and be safe and have a proper life.

She was estatic as he projected an image of himself into all of the cars and told them to drive up. The was so pleased that everyong would get to live that she barely paid attention as he went on telling Brannigan to drive up, and telling the Cassinis to drive all the way up on on.

Then he adressed Martha's car and told her he'd set a flight path for the car, and told her to come to the Senate.

" I'm on my way! " Martha called, sounding thrilled.

They were interruped by Novice Hame shouting them, " Doctor! Lily! Hurry! "

They were at her side in a flash, kneeling once more in front of the Face of Boe. The case that enclosed him started to crack. Lily's face fell and she was devasted that after everything they'd done, they couldn't save Boe.

" Oh no," Lily whispered to herself.

The doors at the other end of the door flew open and Martha stood there happily, " Doctor? " she shouted.

" Here! " the Doctor replied, waving a hand at her.

Martha rushed towards him smiling and nodded at Lily, stopping when she saw the four of them and looking quite confused, " What's happening?" she asked, frowning at them kneeling in front of the Face of Boe, " what's that? "

" This is the Face of Boe," said the Doctor, " come and say hello, it's alright. And this is Hame - she's a cat. Don't worry. "

Lily smiled, " It's really alright. "

Martha nodded and nervously approached, kneeling alongside them.

" He's the one who saved me," said the Doctor, " not me. He did it all. "

Novice Hame smiled, though it was a bitter smile, " My Lord gave his life to save this city. And now he's dying. "

" Don't say that," Lily protested, " Not Boe. Never. "

" It's good to breathe the air one more," the Face of Boe rumbled, his voice as raspy and low as ever.

" Who is he? " asked Martha.

Lily shrugged, not knowing the proper answer, and the Doctor gave the answer, " I don't even know. Legend says that the Face of Boe has lived for billions of years. Isn't that right? And you'r enot about to give up now. "

" Everything has its time," said the Face of Boe gently, " you know that, old friend, better than most. "

" The legend says more," Hame said.

" Don't," the Doctor said, " there's no need for that. "

Hame continued anyway, " It says the Face of Boe will speak his final secret to a pair of travellers. "

" No, not yet," Lily said, shaking her head, " who needs secrets? Secrets aren't good. We don't want them. "

" I have seen so much," said the Face of Boe, observing both Lily and the Doctor, " perhaps too much. I am the last of my kind, as you and your daughter are the last of yours. "

Lily looked sideways at the Doctor, who was so desperate now, not wanting this at all. Lily didn't want it either and just stared up at the Face of Boe, shaking her head and telling herself the old legend wasn't going to die. He couldn't die.

" Don't go," the Doctor said, looking close to tears.

" I must," said Boe, " but know this last time lords - you are not alone. "

The Doctor looked up at Boe, and though he'd ben ready to sob moments before, he was now astounded. He looked at Lily sideways and the pair of them were both shocked into silence.

They looked up at the Face of Boe, and his eyes closed slowly. Martha let out a chocked sob, as did Hame, and the Doctor stood up, embracing Martha in a friendly gesture.

Lily just looked up at the Face of Boe,refusing to believe he was gone.

She heard Hame shuffling away to tidy up, while Martha asked the Doctor about the You Are Not Alone, though he said he didn't know what it meant - he and Lily were the only ones left. He'd know if there was someone else. Then he started to tell Martha how he'd lied about the time Lords still being alive because it gave him chance to imagine his people were still alive.

Lily stayed where she was on the ground, and was shocked when the Face of Boe opened his eyes again.

" I thought you were gone," she whispered.

" I have one more thing to tell," the Face of Boe said, Lily wondering what on Earth it could be.

The Doctor heard what Boe said to Lily and looked around, suprised the Face hadn't quite died yet, thinking he was already gone, and then intruiged to here what the Face of Boe had to tell Lily.

" What? " Lily asked, " what is it? "

The Face of Boe blinked and then looked at her, " Daughter of the Doctor," he rumbled, " things are not how you think. "

" What things? " asked Lily, completely confused, though she wanted to know more. The Doctor meanwhile, was hit by a sudden thought and hoped with all of his might that the Face of Boe wasn't about to tell Lily anything about .... no, he decided. He couldn't know anything about that. At least, he hoped he didn't. Lily would go mad.

The Face of Boe said, " Know this: the one you loved and lost, is not really lost. He lives on. "


	7. Confrontation

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**Author's Note: Here we are, even if people weren't expecting her to find out just yet. Hope this goes alright.**

Chapter Seven

The Face of Boe said, " Know this: the one you loved and lost, is not really lost. He lives on. "

Lily was completely struck by the words, and was almost certain she'd heard it wrong. Jack - he had to mean Jack, because there was no-one else she'd ever really loved, and certainly no-one else she'd loved like that, and lost in the way she had Jack.

She shook her head as she stared up at the Face of Boe - she'd recently had her suspicions that she might not know the whole story about Jack, but to hear it confirmed from someone who knew so much about everything - who was so mystical - she felt sure it was true now.

She watched as the Face of Boe blinked his last and his eyes settled closed. She looked up at the Face of Boe for a few moments, looking at him in silence and trying to make sense of the millions of thoughts going through her head.

There was such confusion at what had happened to Jack. That, mixed with anger, pain, sorrow, frustration. Then happiness that he wasn't dead, and hope that she might see him again.

After what must have been a couple of minutes of sitting in silence on the floor, she stood up slowly and turned around to face the Doctor and Martha. Martha was watching her in confusion, not knowing anything about the man Lily had loved and lost, not knowing anything about Jack. The Doctor was trying to keep a blank look on his face, as he looked at her.

Lily stared at him and took a step closer to him, " Did you hear that? " she asked very quietly, although the room was silent and she was easily heard.

The Doctor just nodded.

Lily took another step closer, her eyes lighting up all of a sudden and a grin appearing on her face, " He's not dead! Dad, he's alive! I could find him! " Lowering her voice, she continued, this time more thoughtful, " it could be me and him together, except better, because this time nothing would get in the way and we could spend the rest of our time travelling in space. "

The Doctor was looking at her with a strange look on his face, feeling guilty for seperating Lily and Jack in the first place and keeping such a secret from her. 

Lily noticed the look on his face and stopped talking, frowning at him in confusion, " What is it? " When he didn't reply, she shook her head, " Dad? What is it? "

The Doctor debated whether or not to tell her.

" Dad," Lily said, suprised at his lack of enthusiasm for it all, " aren't you happy for me? Jack's alive! I can ... I can be happy again. Everything's right again. Dad, he's alive. "

The look in the Doctor's eye had given him away already, and he wished he was a better actor, or that his daughter didn't know him so well. But he wasn't and she did, so he knew that she could soon figure him out.

Before he had chance to say anything, her jaw dropped and she looked at him with a new look in her eyes - one of disbelief, " You ... you already knew, didn't you? " she asked.

Again, the way his face changed, dropping completely, gave her her answer.

Her bands balled into fists, and she took a breath. She didn't usually act in a violent manner and she was determined to keep her cool. She looked at him, now pained and hurt.

Martha watched them, confused, and soon realised that this was a very private - if public at the moment - confrontation between the father and daughter. She looked around and saw Novice Hame clearing up parts of the room, and went to join her.

" Look," the Doctor started.

Lily shook her head and took a step away from him, feeling betrayed and completely shocked, " You knew he wasn't dead? You ... you knew! How could you? "

" I didn't mean to - "started the Doctor, moving closer to her and trying to put his arm around her.

" You _accidently _didn't tell me that the man I was grieving for didn't die? You didn't mean to? Didn't bloody well meant to?! " Lily said, voice growing louder and louder as her anger grew.

The Doctor laid a hand on her shoulder but this only made her more angry. She pushed his hand away and glared at him, " Don't you dare! " she snapped, one arm flying out as she hit his chest.

He looked mildly suprised though he didn'tstruggle, knowing he deserved it. Still he stood in front of her, and she slapped his chest again and again before hitting his arm. Her blows weren't hard and she didn't have much force behind her blows, but each one made him realise he had been a truly terrible father about this. With each hit, she got weaker and weaker, until she gave up and her arms dropped by her side.

She was determined not to cry and the only thing that saved her was her anger.

" I don't understand," she said, almost spitting, " what the hell happened? "

" I didn't mean for - "

" What? " Lily snapped, " you didn't mean to lie to me? You didn't mean for the lie to go on for so long? Or you didn't mean for me to find out and be mad at you? What? "

" I'm so sorry," he said,

" Well somehow, sorry doesn't quite cut it, does it? " she snapped, " you've just ... you're my Dad! You're the one person I should be able to trust above everyone else. Even if everything else goes wrong, at least I've still got my daddy. That's how it's supposed to work. And yet you've done this, and I feel so ... betrayed. How the hell am I going to .... what the hell do I do now? "

" I don't know," the Doctor said, " and I ... please ... give me a chance to explain. Please. "

**" **It won't do any good," Lily said, shaking her head, " I don't want to hear it ... I just want Jack back. And I don't want your stupid explanations. "

" Lils," the Doctor said, looking on the verge of tears now, which was a state he wasn't often in, " I can't begin to describe how I feel and how much I hate what I've done, but at least let me tell you something. Don't you want to know what happened?

Lily paused, and then nodded slowly, " Yeah, I guess so. "

She folded her arms over her chest and fixed him with a cold stare as he started to talk.

" Well," he said, " where do I start? "

" From the beginning might be a good place," Lily said, " how about how he came back to life? I held his dead body in my arms and he _was _definitley dead. I held Jack when he was dead. "

" It was Rose," the Doctor said, looking pained at the very mention of her, " Rose. When I sent her away, and she came back, and she opened the time vortex - looked into the TARDIS' heart. You remember that? "

" Of course. "

" Well, you'll remember that she said she could bring life and death, while she was the Bad Wolf. She brought death by killing the Daleks. And she brought life by bringing Jack back, while he was up on the other floor. "

Lily smiled slightly, " Rose. I always did like that girl. " When the smile dropped, she asked, " How long have you known about this? Tell me ... tell me you didn't know all that time ago. "

The Doctor sighed and then nodded, " I knew. I knew the moment Rose brought him back to life. "

Lily felt like hitting him right there and then. Proper hitting him. It was one thing to know he'd known Jack was alive, but it was completely another to know he'd known from the very beginning. She was completely confused at why he'd lied and she couldn't understand why he'd done that. Her life would have been so much easier if she'd had Jack with her - she could not understand why he had taken her away from Jack if he knew Jack was alive.

There was another awkward silence.

Lily broke it by exploding furiously, " You knew! You knew all along that he was alive! It would have been bad enough if you'd known for a while, but to know right from the beginning! "

" Lily," he said softly,

" No! " she hissed, " I'm talking - you're listening. I cannot understand you _at all. _So right there on the Game Station, you knew Jack was alive! And I thought he was dead. Anyone else would have told me he was alive, then he could have met up with us and we'd have moved on and I'd have been happy. But not you! No, not you! Instead, you let me think he was dead, and then you made me leave him there. "

" I thought - "

" No, you didn't think anything! " Lily snapped moving closer to him and pushing him in the chest, " After he was gone, I begged you to take me back there so we could bring him back to life. Or collect his rotting corpse, but you wouldn't let me - you said it was too dangerous. Then for months afterwards, I spent all my time wishing his was there, and I spent weeks just wanting to curl up and die myself. And you were there telling me I'd be fine, and I'd get over it. And because you were my Dad, I believed you because I thought you were someone I could trust. You're supposed to love me and help me. And instead, you lie to me! You bloody lied to me about something this important! "

" Listen to me! " the Doctor said at last, no longer able to take her anger.

" I don't want to," Lily said, " why should I? "

" Because you have a right to know why I did what I did," the Doctor said. " Will you please just listen to me? If you listen and then decide you still hate me, then fine. Just listen. "

Lily regarded him for a moment and then nodded, leaning back against a table and sitting on the edge of it, " C'mon then. Let's hear it. "

She was absolutely furious and knew she had every right to be, though she couldn't help but wonder for a slight moment if she was being harsh on him. The thought soon went away and she told herself she had every right to be mad.

" This is all because I can't bear to see you get hurt," he said softly, " everything I do is always in your best interests. Even if I'm misguided sometimes. "

"You let me think he was dead because you didn't want me to get hurt? " asked Lily, " you didn't think I'd be upset if I thought he was dead? "

" I know it's stupid," the Doctor said, " let me explain. "

Lily nodded, " I think you'd better. And do it quickly," she spat.

The Doctor sighed, not knowing how to explain, and then said, " You know as well as I do, that I've always been protective of you. When we met Jack, I liked him even though I thought he was an idiot at first. He became one of our friends, but I was aware of his reputation. I knew his type. "

" His type," Lily said quietly.

" You know what I mean," said the Doctor, " Jack ... Jack was flirty, he was a player, and he went for anything in a skirt ... or in trousers. "

Lily rolled her eyes, " You think I didn't know that? That I didn't know what I was getting into? I'm not stupid! "

The Doctor pleaded with her, " I'm sorry. It's ... I ... I just thought that he was so flirty and charming, and you're beautiful and brillint ... I knew he'd end up falling for you. How could he not? But then, I didn't think he'd be able to just commit to you. "

" That was none of your business," Lily said.

" I wanted what was best for you," the Doctor said, " I can't explain it properly, and whatever I say, you're not going to be happy. But basically, when you and Jack told me you were together, I couldn't accept it. I was so sure that he'd be the same as he always was and he'd carry on flirting wiht everyone and sleeping with everyone. You deserved better than that. I thought he'd end up cheating on you. Maybe not right away, but eventually. He'd do something to hurt you, and by that time you'd have fallen for him so hard that you'd be devasted by finding out what he's really like. I wanted to prevent you from getting hurt. "

Lily glared, " So you lied. "

He nodded, " As soon as I knew Jack was alive again, as soon as Rose brought him back to life, I lied. I wasn't going to leave him, but then I realised I had the perfect opportunity to seperate you. I thought that way you'd be a little upset about Jack dying for a little while and then you'd get over it and everything would be fine. We'd never see Jack again, and you'd never get hurt by him. "

Lily tutted.

" I know," the Doctor said, " didn't quite work out like that. It was only when you cired and cried and you weren't getting over it, that I realised how much you actually loved Jack. Months and months later and you still grieved for him, and by now I realise I made a huge mistake. I ... please forgive me. I didn't realise how much you loved him. If I'd understood that, I never would have seperated you. I thought it was just a silly little fling. "

Lily unfolded her arms and looked at him before speaking in a quiet, low voice, " Jack was different. He might have been the player and a cheat when we met him, yeah. But he wanted to change. He wanted to change for me! " she shouted, " He started to change! He even cut back a hell of a lot on the flirting! For me! He did it because he wanted to be with me! Doesn't that show how much I meant to him? "

The Doctor just looked down, feeling even worse as she continued to shout.

" Jack was so strong willed, and he wouldn't have changed for anyone. He settled down with me! " Lily shouted, " he wanted to be with me, and just me! And I wanted him! We could have been so happy together! And you ... you ruined it! "

" I'm - "

" Oh, you're sorry! " Lily snapped, " well, that doesn't change anything, does it? " She stopped and took a deep breath, thinking about everything. There was a very long pause before Lily calmed herself and asked, " where do you think he is now? What's happened to him? "

" I don't know," the Doctor said, ashamed of himself, " he had the vortex manipulator ... that could take him anywhere. He could be anywhere. "

" I'm going to find him," Lily said, heading for the door all of a sudden.

" Lily! " the Doctor shouted as she reached the door, " he could be anywhere. Anywhere at all. Where are you going to start when you don't know where he is? "

Lily turned around and gave him one of her best half shrugs, " I know exactly where he is. "

" You do? " he asked in suprise.

Lily just looked at him and then a smile broke across her face, " He's out looking for me. I know it. Jack has the vortex manipulator, and he can go anywhere, assuming it hasn't broken yet - he always said it was unreliable. We have the TARDIS, and we can go anywhere too. So Jack must be out there looking for me. I know he wouldn't give up on us. He's determined. He'd carry on looking forever, I just .... I just know it. "

" If you're so sure," nodded the Doctor, knowing he had no right to argue, " if there was any way you could go and find him, I'd tell you to, because I've already messed things up for you enough. But where will you go? "

Lily paused, and then shook her head, " _I _don't know. I know exactly where he is, because he's out there looking for me, but I don't know the exact location. Therefore, all I need to do is think about where Jack would think we would be. Because if he's out there, then he's going around all the places he thinks we'd be, in order to try and find us. "

The Doctor raised his eyebrows, " So you think he's out there looking across the universe for you. So you're going to go looking for him. There's so much out there, what happens if ... "

" Don't say it," Lily said sharply, " I'm going to find him. I don't care if it takes 100 years ... well, I suppose he'll be dead by then ... but I'll find him one day. Because I need him. "

" Lily," the Doctor started, moving forwards.

Lily held out her hands, " Don't," she said, " don't come near me, don't try to hug me, don't tell me you're sorry again. I just ... I can't hear it Dad. I don't want to keep going over the same argument, because we've said all there is to say, haven't we? "

" Please, just know how much I regret it. And how much I love you," the Doctor said.

" Don't tell me that," Lily said, sounding tired and feeling fed up now, " I feel so betrayed. You've taken away the man I ... the man I loved. I just can't talk to you properly right now. "

With that, she turned to the doors and yanked them opened, leaving the room and heading back to the TARDIS.

The Doctor stood in the middle of the room and Martha watched him carefully before getting up from where she sat with Novice Hame, and joining him.

" Hey," she said, " rough stuff, huh? "

The Doctor sighed, " You have no idea. I could have ruined my little girl's chance for true love. She's never going to forgive me. "

" She loves you," Martha said, " unfortunately, we don't have a choice about loving our parents, do we? Even if you have been an idiot. "

" Come on, we're leaving," the Doctor told Martha, heading towards the doors, Martha following along behind him, " we should get back to the TARDIS. "

" You don't think she'd do anything ... rash, do you? " Martha asked, " I didn't mean to listen in, but she was talking so loud, I couldn't help it. She's angry and she's set on finding this ... Jack. You don't think she'd go on her own? "

The Doctor shook his head, " No. No, she wouldn't. She's angry, but she wouldn't go on her own, mainly because she doesn't know how to drive it properly. She knows she wouldn't be able to make it, if something went wrong. And because she does what's right, and it wouldn't be right to leave us here ... not you anyway. _You _haven't done anything wrong. "

They didn't speak another word on their journey back to the TARDIS. When they entered, Lily was paced around the console, trying to think, and muttering to herself.

" What are you doing? " asked Martha, " where are you going to go? "

" I don't know," Lily said, " I'm not sure where I might find him. There's a whole universe out there, and I have to pick somewhere to start. Jack would know where to go .... Jack was - no, is - much more logical than I am. I bet Jack picked somewhere clever to go right away, but I can't think of anywhere. Oh, things are bad when you wish you thought like Jack Harkness. " She bit her lip and then clapped her hands, " right! "

"What? " the Doctor asked.

" London, Earth. 2007. Powell Estate. "

" Why? " he asked, incredulously.

" Because I said so," replied Lily, a little harshly, " and because that's where Rose and her family would be if they weren't where they are now. Maybe Jack's been to Rose and Jackie's flat. That makes sense, doesn't it? He might have thought we'd go there. I could ask the neighbours if they've seen him. I could ... oh, I don't know, but that's where we're going. "

Before anyone could say anything else, Lily was in a mad frenzy, pulling down on a lever and rushing around the controls. She programmed in where she wanted to go, and pulled on another of the levers, twisting and turning two of the knobs.

" Be careful," the Doctor warned her, stepping closer and looking at the console, " you're leaning close to the 20th century there. Almost 19th. "

" I don't need your advice, " she told him with a glare, " I think you've done enough. "

" I'm trying to help," said the Doctor through gritted teeth.

" Well, it turns out your help isn't always needed, is it? " Lily snapped, pressing the last button on the console.


	8. Short Interlude

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**Author's Note: Thank you for the lovely reviews. Thought I'd update again thanks to watching the first ep of the Eleventh Doctor's new run. Not quite sure what I thought of him yet, because I loved David Tennant, but Matt Smith's started off good!**

Chapter Eight

The TARDIS landed with a much bigger bang than usual, and Lily gave a manic laugh that the Doctor was sure even he wasn't capable of.

" Slightly bumpier journey than usual," she said, buttoning up her jacket and heading for the door, " still, bit of turbulance never hurt anyone, did it? "

Stopping at the door, she looked over her shoulder, " C'mon Dad. Powell Estate, exactly as we left it, if my driving skills are any good. Oh, I hope he's been here. "

She threw the door open and frowned at what she saw. Instead of the estate as she remembered it, they were somewhere completely different. They were standing ontop of a grassy hill, over looking clear blue waters.

Lily put her hands on her hips and shook her head, " Well this isn't right. Turns out my driving skills aren't much good at all. "

" Where are we? " Martha asked, " this isn't London, surely? "

" It seems my driving has failed miserably," Lily admitted.

The Doctor joined them, sticking his hands in his pockets, " Smell that Atlantic breeze. Nice and old. Lovely. Martha - look over there. "

Both Martha and Lily looked at where the Doctor was signalling, and Martha gasped, " Is that - ? No way! The Statue of Liberty! "

"So not London," Lily nodded, " never mind, everyone back inside. Let's try again. "

Lily was ignored however, since the Doctor and Martha seemed to have better ideas.

" This is so brilliant," laughed Martha with excitement, " I've always wanted to go to New York. The real New York, I mean. Not the new, new, new, new, new, whatever one. "

" Well here we are," the Doctor said, trying to smile and get his shame and guilt out of his mind, " the genuine article. So good they named it twice. Mind you, it was New Amsterdam originally. Harder to saw twice. No wonder it didn't catch on ... New Amsterdam, New Amsterdam. "

Lily rolled her eyes, wanting to go back inside, itching to continue her search for Jack.

" I wonder what year it is," Martha pondered, " look - the Empire State Building's not even finished. "

" Work in progress," said the Doctor with a nod, " still got a couple of floors to go, and if I know my history, then thatmakes this about ... "

" 1st November, 1930," Martha supplied.

Lily looked at the newspaper Martha held and sighed, " 1930? That's over 70 years out! Why, that's dreadful driving. I really must practise more. "

She sighed, thinking about going back into the TARDIS and trying to think of other places they could go to find Jack. She wasn't paying attention to the conversation, until she caught sight of the newspaper headline: Hooverville Mystery Deepens.

" What's Hooverville? " Martha asked.

" How about I show you? " asked the Doctor.

Lily shook her head, " Oh no. We're not here to go off on some adventure. We should leave. "

" I want to check this out," the Doctor said.

Lily rolled her eyes at him, " Fine then, but I'm not coming with you. I'm not running around New York playing happy families when I'm furious with you. You can go wander off and do as you please, but I'm staying here. "

There was a moment during which the father and daughter watched each other, each waiting for the other to back down, but then the Doctor nodded.

" Have it your way," he said, " Martha and I are going to the Hoovervilles, and if you want to stay here, then you do that. " He stopped and reached out to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, " will you at least promise me that you'll stay here. You won't try to drive away? "

Lily felt very reluctant to answer his needs, because of her fury at him, but still she nodded, though she pushed his hand away, " You just go. I'll be inside somewhere. "

When the Doctor and Martha were gone, Lily went back into the TARDIS and closed the door firmly behind her, leaning against it and wondering what she should do now.

The answer hit her before she'd even had time to think about it, and she found herself walking towards the room that she knew as well as she knew her own bedroom. She knew there were no answers in the room, only memories, but it always made her feel better nonetheless.

She pushed the door of Jack's old bedroom open and stood in the doorway, looking at the room.

When she and Jack had spent those few months getting closer and closer, they'd never spent much time in his room. They'd spent nights in her room, and they'd spent time drinking in the kitchen, or having a late night swim in the pool.

Since he'd been gone, Lily had spent many a night in his room, sometimes just standing there in the doorway and looking out across the room. Sometimes she spent nights sleeping on his bed too, hugging the pillow to him.

She walked into the room and looked around slowly, though she knew the room inside out. She started in the corner and allowed her hand to trail to the wardrobe, opening the door and looking inside. His clothes were hung there just like they'd always been, each one reminding her of somewhere they'd travelled.

She shut the wardrobe and turned to the desk beside it. There were a few books from the TARDIS' library sitting on there that Lily hadn't been able to take back to the library since, instead leaving them pilled up neatly.

There were a few scraps of paper on the desk, most of them empty, but some had the odd words on, and there was one she always smiled when she saw. It was sitting on the edge of his desk, exactly how he'd left it, because she hadn't had the heart to move anything. The paper was all plain apart from the word _Lily _written in the corner with a very badly drawn heart next to it.

She looked around the room and then told herself that she needed to find him. She had to find him because they were meant to be together.

_If it's not okay, then it's not the end_ she thought. She needed to remember that.

She sat down on the edge of his bed, which no longer smelt of him, but she loved anyway. She sat and thought about all the good times they'd had.

The first time they'd met: he saved she and Rose from the middle of the blitz and tried to charm them both. Lily had been a little resistant and had held her own, although he slow danced her around with a glass of champagne.

The first time he came aboard the TARDIS - Lily told the Doctor they couldn't leave Jack behind, and invited him to come aboard their ship. She and Jack went to have a drink in the kitchen, and Lily told him all about the Time Lords. He was so easy to talk to.

The first time she'd worn his coat: they were visiting Rose's mother and it was cold outside so Jack gave her the coat. Lily loved that jacket and had worn it many times since.

The first time he bought her a drink: they were in a bar and he bought her a cocktail. My Fair Lady, because he said that's what she was. That was also the first time he called her beautiful.

The first time they kissed: they were at Cardiff bay and were alone for a little while. They stood by the railings, just talking, but there was a definite tension in the air. Jack solved it by kissing her and she kissed back.

The first time they went for a midnight swim: they both happened to be at the pool, shortly after they'd kissed, and they had a talk which resulted in them confessing their feelings and getting together.

There were so many other good times she could think of.

And then came the bad.

Their last conversation: on the Game Station when he was about to go to a different floor and they were saying goodbye. Lily wasn't optimistic and was sure they were both going to die. Jack wouldn't let her think like that. He said she was the best thing that ever happened to him. Then he said he was so glad he'd met her. Then they wished each other good luck.

The last time she laid eyes on him alive: she was stood there on the floor and he was in the lift. The doors of the lift were closing and they looked at each other until the doors shut, not taking their eyes off each other.

The last time she heard his voice: he was shouting about how he was the only one left. Then he said something she couldn't quite hear. And that almost killed her - he was the only one left, and soon even he wouldn't be left.

Then there was the last time she saw him at all: he was dead then. She'd gotten to him too late. She told him she loved him - words she'd never spoken to him, and he to her. And then they'd both said it when the other couldn't hear.

The last words she spoke to him: She had to get to the other floor, where Rose had returned and absorbed the Time Vortex. So she promised him she was going to come back for him, kissed his cheek and layed him gently down.

She sniffed up at the memory of it and pushed her hair away from her face. She told herself she'd had enough of the room for one day, and left it.

***

She was in the library when she heard voices in the console room, which wasn't far away.

She went to join Martha and the Doctor - it had been hours since they'd gone, and she'd hardly noticed due to her fascination with Jane Austen's literary works.

Martha grinned when she saw Lily, " You won't believe what we saw. The day we've just had ... "

" Go on then," Lily said, " amaze me. The Hooverville mystery? "

"Daleks," the Doctor said.

" What? " Lily demanded sharply, " Daleks? I thought they were all gone? Those stupid things! How dare they just come back to Earth like this! They kill all of the time lords, then they kill Jack, and then the whole Canary Wharf thing. Why can't they just go away? "

" They've gone now," the Doctor told her, trying to be comforting, though he knew Lily didn't want to hear it, " they were taking the homeless people and turning then into dalek-human hybrids, but they're gone now. "

" Good," Lily said, " they always find a way to come back. I hate them! "

" I know," the Doctor said, " but they're gone now. "

" What about you? " Martha asked with a brightness that Lily was starting to find a little annoying, " what have you been doing? "

Lily shrugged, " This and that. "

There was an awkward pause before Martha announced that she was going to get a drink. When she was gone, the Doctor looked at Lily. Lily saw him looking at her and shook her head, " Don't start apologising again," she told him, " you're my dad and I don't want to fall out with you, but it's best if we don't talk, or I'm just going to get very angry again. "

The Doctor shook his head, " No, I was going to tell you about Martha actually," he said.

"Oh? "

He sighed and paused before saying in a rather light hearted tone, " It was never going to be permenant, was it? Martha travelling with us, I mean. We said one trip, and now it's been three. She'd got exams and family and stuff. We should be getting her home. "

Lily nodded.

" What do you think? " asked the Doctor.

Lily shrugged - she liked Martha, but ... maybe she should be with her family. Lily felt that she and Martha hadn't gotten to know each other yet, and there would be no real loss if she went. Though it would mean she and her dad were left travelling alone ... that could be a little awkward.

" Like you say," Lily said, " Martha has exams and family. She should be with them. "

Martha came back into the room, and the converstion ended.


	9. The Lazarus Experiment

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**Author's Note: I'm hoping to move on from Lily being angry and miserable. Angsty stuff isn't always very fun, so we're working towards the happy reunion. Any ideas regarding Uptopia/sound of drums/last of the time lords and the year that never was would be appreciated.**

Chapter Nine

" Right," the Doctor said, rubbing his hands together, " onwards ... always moving onwards. "

He rushed to the controls and Lily folded her arms watching him, her face expressionless, as he moved. Martha was watching excited, though she was feeling nervous about the situation between the Doctor and Lily, and how awkward that could make things if they didn't resolve it soon.

" Where are we going this time? " Martha asked.

The Doctor grinned, trying to distract from taking her home, " It's a suprise," he told her.

Lily started to think about taking Martha home, and whether it was the right decision. Martha a nice enough person, but she wasn't Rose, and she wasn't anyone else. She was Martha, and Lily felt that she neeeded to get to know Martha a bit better, becuase they didn't have much of a friendship yet. She sort of wanted Martha to stay so she could have a new friend, but on the other hand, it wouldn't make much difference if Martha left at this point. They hadn't got attached yet - she had family and stuff, she could just go.

But Lily knew Martha wouldn't want to go. She was hopelessly in love with the Doctor.

She was so lost in her thoughts that she barely noticed they'd landed until the Doctor's voice broke through, and she turned to look at him, though she was still furious and didn't want to go near him.

" There we go," he said, " perfect landing, which isn't easy in such a tight spot. "

" Where are we? " asked Martha in excitement, as Lily felt guilty about Martha's obliviousness.

" End of the line," the Doctor told her as she ran for the doors, " no place like it. "

Martha looked at him for a moment, and then flung open the doors. Lily could feel the disappointment, and almost heard the disappointed sigh from the other woman.

" Home," Martha said, stepping out of the TARDIS and into her bedroom, " you took me home? "

The Doctor followed Martha out and Lily paused for a moment, but then decided to go anyway - her curiosity always got the better of her, and when there was something to be explored, she could never leave it alone.

Martha's bedroom was a small room with blue walls, posters and pictures plastered all over the walls. There were books piled high on the desk, cd and dvds left lying around by the telly, lots of clothes hanging off the clothes horse in the corner.

" The morning after we left," said the Doctor, looking at one of her books, " so you've only been gone about 12 hours. No time at all, really. "

" But all the stuff we've done ... Shakespeare, New New York, Old New York? "

" All in one night," the Doctor nodded, carrying on as if he wasn't aware of Martha's feelings, even if Lily could hear the pain in her voice as she spoke. The Doctor continued, " Everything should be just as it was - books, cds, " he picked up a piece of underwear from where it was drying, " underwear. "

Martha narrowed her eyes at him and plucked the underwear from his fingers, stuffing it away in a drawer and avoiding his eye.

"So back where you were, as promised," the Doctor said firmly.

" This is it? " Martha asked.

" For what it's worth," Lily said softly, suddenly starting to feel even more guilty about leaving Martha, who was just a girl who wanted to be with the one she loved, even if Lily knew Martha could never have him. " You've been brilliant. "

The Doctor inhaled deeply and nodded, " Yeah, I .. me and Lily ... should probably .. um ... "

The phone sitting on Martha's desk interrupted them and Martha apologised while the answering machine picked up the message.

" Martha? " a woman said, " Martha, are you there? "

" It's Mum," Martha told them, " it can wait. "

Francine Jones - over the answering machine - said, " Alright then, pretend that you're out if you like. I was only calling to say that your sister's on tv. On the news of all things. Just thought you might be interested. "

Martha reached for a remote control and turned on the television.

On the first channel she turned onto was a news channel where the newsreader was giving a report in front of a large picture of a man. Lily looked at the man - he had light brown hair, and was quite handsome. There was a twinkle in his eye which she quite liked. There was no-one she'd found particularly attractive since losing Jack.

"Ooh," she said approvingly, as she glanced at Martha, " that's guy's hot ... who's he? "

Martha smiled and Lily found that she sometimes missed female friends - it was good to have someone to gossip with. " Harold Saxon," Martha said, " in the running for Prime Minister. "

Lily smiled a little, " Oh, if that isn't enough to make you interested in politics ... "

Martha shrugged and changed the channel. On the other news channel, a Professor of about 70 years of age was holding a press conference, " The details are top secret," said he. Tish was standing behind the professor.

"How did Tish end up on the news? " Martha asked herself.

" Tonight I will demonstrate a device - " the professor said.

" She's got a new job," Martha told Lily and the Doctor over her shoulder, " doing PR at some research lab. "

The professor continued, " with the single push of a button, I will change what it means to be human. "

Martha shrugged again and tuned off the television set and turned back to the Doctor, looking dejected as she realised she was going to have to leave her two new friends behind. " Sorry. You were saying we should - ? "

" Yes, yes, we should," the Doctor answered, without saying exactly what he meant, " one trip is what we said. "

" I suppose things just ... sort of escalated," Martha nodded, trying to show how hurt she saw, " but anyway - thank you. For everything. "

" It was my pleasure," the Doctor said, before turning on his heel and leaving Martha and Lily standing there.

Lily looked at Martha, who was close to tears, and suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to keep Martha travelling with them. Sometimes she needed another friend with her, so she could gather around and have a good chat with.

" Thank you, too," Martha said, " it was nice to meet you. "

Lily smiled, feeling sorry for Martha and approaching her, " C'mere you," she said, extending her arms towards Martha. Martha looked at her, suprised, but then hugged her briefly in a display of friendship.

Lily smiled wordlessly and turned towards the TARDIS. She had one hand on the door when Martha called across the room, " Hey, try and make it up with your dad, won't you? He can't take care of himself - he needs you. "

Lily just shrugged, almost giving in to laughing at that. The next moment, she'd pushed the door open and was standing in the control room, where the Doctor was standing at the console.

" Well," the Doctor said, rubbing his hands together, " moving on? "

Lily paused before tearing her gaze from the floor and looking up at him, shrugging.

" Lils," the Doctor said, moving closer with a new tone to his voice - a more sorrowful one - " I _know _how mad you are, but ... " he paused and then looked down at his feet before looking back up at her, " I just want things to be how they were. What can I do? "

" You can find Jack for a start," Lily said, " so get thinking about where he could be. "

They fell into silence until at the exact same moment, a thought occured to both of them. They looked at each other, both with the same confused look and then the same maniac look when a plan was forming.

" You thinking what I'm thinking? " the Doctor asked.

Lily shrugged, " As much as I hate to admit it right now, yeah, I think I am. "

Almost right away, they were back in Martha's bedroom. Lily got to the door first and looked out to where Martha was sitting on her bed, Doctor poked his head around the door too, and they looked at her.

" I'm sorry," the Doctor said, " but did that guy say he was going to change what it means to be human? "

Martha stood up and stared at them as if they weren't really there, and at the same time saw overjoyed that they'd come back.

Lily grinned at the other woman, " You know us - we couldn't resist. Fancy coming along to investigate? "

Martha didn't need asking twice and all three of them were back in the TARDIS without hesitation. The Doctor was trying to think of a way to get near the professor - Lazarus -, and Martha solved it by saying she knew they were having an event that night where the Professor would unveil his work.

" Black tie event," the Doctor said, after finding out some details a short while later.

" I don't have anything very formal," Martha said, shaking her head.

Lily grinned, " No need. Wait until you _see _the wardrobe we have around here," she said, " it's fantastic. I mean... there's loads, it's actually unbelieveable. C'mon, I'll show you. "

When Lily pushed open the door to the wardrobe, a short walk later, Martha's jaw dropped, as she looked at it. There were rows and rows and rows of clothes, so much more than Martha could imagine seeing.

" I'm sure you'll find something here," Lily grinned. Sometimes she felt so alive when she played in the wardrobe, and it was something that always cheered her up, however shallow she knew that was, " there's clothes here from loads of eras, so .... knock yourself out. "

Lily smiled as she watched Martha walk around the room slowly. Lily walked around and stopped by the rows and rows of evening gowns.

" Black tie," Lily nodded, her hand trailing across the racks of fabric, " you must about the same size as me. Pick anything you like the look of. "

Martha watched as Lily pulled out a few dresses and put them back on the rack, pulling faces and muttering to herself. Lily then pulled out another dress and smiled at it.

" What do you think? " she asked Martha, holding the bright red, floor length dress to her. It was a halter neck covered in sequins.

Martha nodded, " It's lovely. "

Lily smiled, and Martha caught a strange look in her eye. Lily lowered the dress and said, " Jack always told me that I looked good in red. "

There was a pause before Martha - who'd only heard bits about Jack, and could piece together a bit about him - said gently, " Jack ... he meant a lot to you? "

Lily nodded, throwing the dress over her arm, " He ... yeah. He's the best thing that ever happened to me. It was awful when I lost him but ... but I'll find him one day, because I need him. "

Martha nodded and knew that their brief moment was over. Lily tried to distract from it by pulling out a beautiful black dress and holding it out, " How about this? "

Martha took the dress and nodded, " It's perfect. "

When they left the room and went to get changed in their rooms, Lily was left feeling satisfied that she and Martha had made a connection, and were going to be friends from now on. It was just a gut feeling, but she was sure that Martha would be around for much longer than this one trip. And she decided it would be good to have someone else around - not Rose, no-one could ever be Rose, but someone new.

***

In the control room, the Doctor was stood with Martha when Lily came through the doors. The Doctor turned to look at her, and was struck by how beautiful she looked, her hair pulled back with a big red headband and long silver earrings dangling from her ears.

" Lils," he said simply.

Lily sighed. She hated arguing with him, and she wanted everything to be alright, but he'd done wrong and she felt so betrayed by him. Then she saw his face and knew how sorry he was, and she wanted to hug him. It was difficult being so torn between two things.

" Should we be going? " asked Lily, motioning towards the doors.

The three of them stepped out of the door where the TARDIS was sitting around the corner from the large building where the Lazarus experiment was being unveiled. They walked down the street and were soon inside the building thanks to a little psychic paper.

Lily looked around the main reception room where guests were milling around. In the middle of the room was a large white cabinet surrounded with four pillars and with a curve on top. Lily reached out and took a sausage roll from a man who walked pase with a tray.

" Nibbles," she said, " I love nibbles. "

The Doctor nodded in agreement, and Lily said nothing in return. She was happy enough to stand with the Doctor, because she wanted to investigate, and he usually knew more than anyone else. No matter what happened, Lily always liked to investigate, and curiosity always got the better of her.

Lily was suprised when a woman approached them - a dark skinned, well dressed young woman, who was smiling at Martha.

" Hello," she said.

" Tish," Martha smiled, before her sister hugged her warmly. They shared a friendly hug and then Tish pulled back and looked at her sister, " you look great. So what do you think of this? Impressive? "

Martha nodded, " Very. "

Tish laughed, " And two nights out in a row for you. This and Leo's birthday last night. That's dangerously close to a social life for you. "

" I know," Martha nodded, " I'll end up in all of the gossip columns. "

" You might actually," Tish nodded, pleased with herself, Lily noted, " keep an eye out for photographers. And Mum - she's coming too, even dragging Leo along. "

Tish stopped and looked at the Doctor and Lily.

Lily smiled and Martha noticed the look and gestured between them, " This is .. uh ... the Doctor. And this is Lily. "

Lily and the Doctor both nodded at Tish and said hello to her. Lily thought about meeting Marth'a family and then thought about meeting companions families. It was always odd to meet the family - the family never liked the Doctor and Lily. It had taken Jackie ages.

" He's with you? " asked Tish.

Martha nodded, " Yeah, they're my guests. "

" So," said the Doctor after a moment, " this Lazarus bloke - he's your boss? "

" Professor Lazarus, yes," Tish confirmed, " I'm part of his executive staff. "

" PR deperatment," Martha filled in.

" Head of PR," Tish added, proud of herself, " I put this whole thing together. "

The Doctor grinned and looked at Tish questioningly, " So you know what the professor's going to do tonight? That looks like it might be a sonic microfield manipulator. "

Tish rolled her eyes, " He's a science geek. I should've known. Sorry, I've got to get back to work now. I'll catch up with you later. " Lily watched Tish walk away and after that, the three of them turned to each other.

" I'd love to know what Lazarus is going to do," said Lily, " there's no way he can just change how the human body works ... I don't know what he's talking about. There's ... well, I'd just like to see it. "

The Doctor noded it, " Me too. The professor must have some serious equipment here. "

Someone else approached them, an older woman who had a look of Martha, and a young man, a little younger than Martha.

" Mum! " Martha cried, hugging her mother as if she hadn't seen her in years.

" What's the occasion? " Francine Jones asked, " you only saw me last night. "

Martha shrugged, suddenly trying to cover up the fact that to her, she hadn't seen her mother in a while, and they'd been in a few sticky situations since, " I'm just pleased to see you, that's all. You're looking good Leo. "

Leo nodded, wearing a smart black suit which didn't seem his usual style, " Yeah, but if anyone asks me to fetch 'em a drink, I'll swing for them. "

Francine glanced at the Doctor and Lily a little uneasily and then back at Martha, " You just ... disappeared last night. "

Martha tried to shrug it off, " I just went home. Oh, and this are my friends. The Doctor, and Lily. "

" Doctor what? " asked Francine.

" Just the Doctor," Martha said, " we've been doing some work together. Lily's his niece. "

Lily smiled at Martha and then the Doctor leaned over to shake the Martha's mum's hand, " Lovely to meet you," he told her, " heard a lot about you. "

Francine raised her eyebrows, " What have you heard then? "

Lily knew then that Martha's mother wasn't going to let this go - she wanted to know exactly who her daughter was hanging around with, and Lily knew that they were too mysterious and unusual for Francine to let them go.

The Doctor shrugged, " Oh, you know, that you're Martha's mother and ... um .. no actually, that's ... that's about it. We haven't had much time to chat, you know, been busy. "

" Busy doing what? " asked Francine.

The Doctor shrugged, " Oh, you know ... stuff. "

The conversation was cut short when someone tapped on a glass, signalling an announcement. Everyone looked around and quietened down as the professor began to talk, " Ladies and gentlemen, I am Professor Richard Lazarus and tonight I'm going to perform a miracle. It is, I believe, the most important advance since Rutherford split the atom, the biggest leap since Armstrong stood on the moon. Tonight you will watch in wonder. Tomorrow you will awake to a world which will be changed forever. "

Lily watched carefully, determined to know what was going on, and a little excited by the science behind it.

The professor entered the cabinet and closed the door behind him. Two female technicians start the machinery from behind the cabinet, while a high pitched whir started and a bright blue light emitted from out of the doors as the pilars started to move. The pillars started to move faster and faster and a loud klaxon sounded.

" Is something wrong? " Lily asked quietly, moving forwards.

" It's overloading," the Doctor said quietly

The techicians tried to stop it while Lily watched closely, and sparks started to shoot off it. The Doctor didn't hesitate to pull out his sonic screwdriver and point it at the controls.

" Someone stop him! " cried an rather ageing woman.

" If this thing goes off, it'll take the whole building with it. Is that what you want? " the Doctor asked loudly, hurrying to the cabinet. Lily followed him, even if she wasn't impressed with him right now, but she wanted to get to the bottom of this.

The Doctor yanked out one of the wires of the cabinet, and slowly the cabinet stopped spinning. The Doctor shouted at Lily to open the doors, which she did so, revealing lots of smoke. The Doctor pulled Lily's arm and pulled her out of the way of the smoke.

Lily moved where he wanted her to, but pulled her arm from his fingers. They stood there alongside Martha and watched in amazement as the photographers snapped away.

Richard Lazarus now looked at least 40 years younger.

Lily stared. That had to be impossible. One glance at her dad told her that he felt the same, though his face soon turned to one of horror. They were watching as Lazarus announced, " Ladies and gentlemen, I am 76 years, and I am reborn! "

The crowd cheered and the same woman who'd shouted at the Doctor - Lady Thaw - was the most gleeful of the lot. As Lazarus moved away, the Doctor started to examine the machine.

" It can't be the same guy," Marth concluded, " it's a trick. "

" Oh, it's not," the Doctor told her, " I only wish it were. "

" What happened then? "

" He just changed what it means to be human," the Doctor replied simply.

They all agreed that they needed to find out what was going on and talk to the Professor. They walked up behind him where he was talking to Lady Thaw. They heard him mention something about his skin feeling odd.

" That's the energy deficit," the Doctor said, butting into the conversation, " always happens with this sort of conversation. "

" You speak as if you see this every day Mr - " Lazarus started, waiting for an answer.

" Doctor," said the Doctor, " and well, no. Not every day, but I have some experience in this kind of transformation. "

" Not possible," Lazrus said with a smile, polite though firm.

The Doctor was not to be pushed aside, " Using hypersonic sound waves to create a state of resonance. That's - that's inspired. "

" You understand the theory then," the professor nodded.

" Enough to know you couldn't possibly have accounted for all of the variables. "

" No experiment is entirely without risk," professor Lazarus said simply.

The Doctor raised one eyebrow and Lily couldn't help but be a little amused by this, as the Doctor said simply, " That thing nearly exploded. You might has well have stepped into a blender. "

" You're not qualified to comment," shrugged Lazarus, beginning to turn away, as Lily decided she was liking the man less and less.

" That would have exploded if he hadn't stopped it! " Lily pointed out. Lily was always the emotional headstrong one, and as always, her emotions got the better of her and took control of her mouth.

" A simple engineering issue," Lazarus said, " what happened inside that capsule was exactly what was supposed to happen, no more, no less. "

" You've no way of knowing that until you've carried out proper tests," Lily said, " there could be anything wrong with you. "

Again, Lazarus wasn't impressed and he laughed, " Look at me! You can see what happened - I'm all the proof you need. "

Lady Thaw cleared her throat, " This device will be properly certified before we start to operate commercially. "

" Comercially? " Martha asked, her curiosity coming over her, " but that'll cause chaos. This is ... ridiculous! "

" Not chaos, my good lady, but change," Lazarus replied breezily, " a chance for humanity to evolve. "

" This isn't about improving," Lily sid cynically, shaking her head, " it's about you and your friends living that little bit longer. That can't happen ... you've no idea what damage you could cause. "

Lazarus wasn't interested, and Lady Thaw touched the professor's arm and told him they had business to discuss. As they walked away, Lazarus gave them a little smile, " Goodbye. In a few years later, you'll look back and laugh at how wrong you were. " Before he left, he reached out and kissed Martha's hand, though Lily didn't offer her hand to him.

Lily watched him walk away and narrowed her eyes, wondering what they were going to do next.

" He's out of his depth," said the Doctor, shaking his head.

" What do we do now?" asked Martha.

Lily put her hands on her hips and then nodded, " Right. I'll bet this place is full of laboratories. If Lazarus won't run his tests, then I think we should run some of our own. "

Martha grinned and looked down at her hand, " Well ... lucky I've collected a DNA sample then, isn't it? "

They found a lab quite easily because everyone else was still in the reception room, talking about Lazarus and eating the food. The Doctor easily put the sample into computer and then they sat in silence, waiting for a DNA analysis.

Lily knew her dad was watching her, which made her even more determined not to look at him. She didn't want to argue with him, and fall out with him. But she didn't want to talk to him either. So they sat in silence, each thinking about how Lazarus could have done what he'd done, and what effects it would have.

The silence was broken when the Doctor cried, " Ah-ha! "

The three of them gathered around the screen and watched to find out what was happening. The resuls were on the screen. The Doctor was grinning as if he'd just discovered something, and when Lily had watched for a moment, she saw it too.

" No! " she breathed.

" Oh yes," the Doctor nodded.

" Amazing," Lily said, shaking her head.

" What? " Martha demanded.

Lily pointed at the screen, " His DNA. Just watch. "

The image on the screen flickered and then Martha blinked. It flickered again and she shook her head too, " Did that just change? It can't change like that! "

" But it did," the Doctor said.

" Impossible," Martha said.

" That's two impossible things in one day," said the Doctor, " don't you just love it when that happens? Lazarus has changed his own molecular patterns. He basically hacked into his own genes and instructed them to rejuvenate. "

" But they're still mutating now," Martha said.

" He missed something," Lily said quietly, thinking it through, " something in his DNA has ben activated and won't let him stabilize. Something's trying to change him ... am I right? "

The Doctor nodded, " Yep, and we need to find out what he's going to change into. "

" The woman said that they were going to go upstairs," Martha said.

" Let's go! " the Doctor said, heading for the door.

Martha and Lily followed, and soon the three of them were hurrying down the corridor, as fast as they could. Lily found herself wishing that she hadn't worn such high heels, as she trotted along. It seemed like whenever they dressed up, things went wrong. Then again, things went wrong no matter what they were wearing.

They were running down the corridor, even though they didn't know where they'd find Lazarus and the woman. Martha suggested finding an office that Lazarus might have and thanks to a handy "You are here" sign, they located the office.

They stepped out of the lift and turned into the room next door, which was Professor Lazarus' office. Lily hoped they could get to the bottom of this, though she thought it was a fascinating thing to study the DNA.

" He's not here," Martha said, a little disappointed.

Lily was going to suggest going to the reception room and looking for him, but her eyes widened when she saw something behind the desk. She held up her hands to silence Martha and her dad, and stepped closer.

She pointed at the skeletal bones sticking out from underneath the desk. Skeletal feet wearing high heels. The three of them rushed over there and stopped when they saw Lady Thaw's body lying there, thin as a skeleton.

" Is that Lady Thaw? " Martha asked, as the Doctor leant down by her body and Lily loked on, worried.

" Used to be," the Doctor said, " now it's just a shell. Had all the life energy drained out of her. Like squeezing the juice out of an orange. "

" Lazarus," said Martha.

" Could be," the Doctor nodded.

" He can't have changed already? " Lily asked, " that was quick! We need to get there -we need to find him! "

" Calm," the Doctor said warningly, glancing up at her. Then he looked at Lady Thaw's body and added, " You saw the DNA. It was fluctuating. The process needs a lot of energy, and he might not have it all yet. He might do this again. "

Lily sighed as she realised it meant more running. She turned on her heel and they headed for the door. Her heart pounded as they headed back for the main reception room. Once they were down there, the room was packed out with people and Lily's scanned the crowd with her eyes, looking this way and that.

She couldn't see Lazarus anywhere as the three of them wandered around the room. They got seperated from Martha, but the Doctor noticed her a few moments later, and headed over there. Reluctantly, Lily followed him.

" He's with Tish," Marth said quickly as they got there. She was standing with her mother and brother.

" Where did they go? " the Doctor demanded, as Francine greeted Lily and the Doctor.

" Upstairs I think, why? " Leo asked.

The Doctor rushed off, and Lily sighed again. She nodded at Leo before they hurried away, " Nice to meet you, by the way," she called over her shoulder, following the Doctor away, while Francine shouted after them.

" Where are we going to find them? " Lily shouted as they got into the lift.

The Doctor shrugged, " We'll find them. " He pulled out his sonic screwdriver and held it out, where it started to beep, " fluctuating DNA will give oun an energy signature, right? I should be able to ... hmm. Yep. Roof. "

As the lift stopped, they were off again, running as fast as they could, though Lily didn't think she could take much more running that day. She mentally cursed her shoes, her dress, the situation, Lazarus, everything. Bloody humans - always messing things up. She had enough on with stupid dad and his stupid lying about things.

" Tish! " Martha shouted as they got onto the roof and stopped just behind Lazarus and Tish, " get away from him! "

Tish and Lazarus turned around in suprise and Tish suddeenly looked very angry, " What are you doing up here? Don't tell me what to do! "

The Doctor clicked his heels together and looked at Lazarus, " Having fun changing the laws of nature and all? "

" You're right, Doctor," Lazarus nodded, " one lifetime's been too short for me to do everything I'd like. How much more would I really get done in three or four years? "

" Doesn't work like that," the Doctor said, " some people live more in 20 years than others do in 80. It's not time that matters; it's the person. "

" But if it's the right person, then what a gift that could be," Lazarus shrugged.

" Or a curse," the Doctor countered, " look what you've done to yourself. There's too much energy - you're malfunctioning, aren't you? "

" Who are you to judge me?" Lazarus demanded, as Lily shivered in the cold.

Tish walked over to Martha, glaring, " You've got to spoil everything, haven't you? Every time I find someone nice, you have to go and find fault. "

Martha's words were tuned out when Lily noticed Lazarus having some kind of attack. He started twitching and grabbing at his neck. Lily took an step backwards without meaning to, and there was a loud growling which scared her. Lazarus moved forwards and the Doctor grabbed Lily, who was standing furthest forwards and pulled her back. She didn't argue.

Lazarus was turning into a monster - he looked like a horrifying cross between a human skeleton and a scorpion.

The Doctor roared at everyone to run and the women all listened to him, running as fast as they could back into the building. They ran right down all of the stairs when it became apparent that the lift wasn't going to work. Lazarus was trying to get to them, and they knew that they didn't have much time. The Doctor kept looking around at Lily, Martha and Tish to make sure they were all still there and were all alright. He longed to reach out and grab his daughter's hand, but he knew she wouldn't want to.

The people in the reception room were still talking to each other happily and standing around as if they didn't have a care in the world.

" What do we do? " Lily asked quietly.

" Leave it to me," the Doctor said, hurrying to the front of the room and jumping onto a table, " listen to me, all of you! You people are in serious danger! You need to get out of here right now! "

" Don't be dense," a woman in the crowd said," the biggest danger here is choking on an olive. "

Famous last words. Just after she'd said that, the glass shattered in the reception room and Lazarus - now a monster - leapt through the window and into the reception room.

" Everyone over here! " Martha shouted, pointing at the door in the corner, " get out! Over here! "

People began to run and scream and no-one knew what to do. Lazarus closed in on the woman who wouldn't believe the Doctor and though both Lily and the Doctor shouted their protests. Lazarus closed in and drained her dry. Martha was hurrying away with her family.

Lily tried to go for the exit but tripped over the bottom of her dress and went tumbling to the floor. Lazarus moved over and was standing a few feet away. She stared up at him, wide eyed, and looked around, not seeing a way to move out. He was too close. He was going to get her.

" Hey! " the Doctor shouted, throwing a bit of broken chair at Lazarus, which hit him in the back of the head and made him turn around, " stay the hell away from my daughter! "

When Lazarus was distracted, Lily pulled off her shoes and got to her feet, deciding she could do without the stupid things. The Doctor darted past Lazarus and hurled towards Lily, grabbing her at the shoulders and forcing him to look at her.

Lily didn't even try to struggle away, too hit by the serious situation.

" Listen to me," the Doctor said, " you're going to go with Martha. Stick with her, don't get hurt. I'm going to distract Lazarus and - "

Lazarus roared and moved closer to the Doctor

" But - " Lily started.

" Do it!" the Doctor yelled, " I'm telling you to get out of here, without me! I'll be fine! "

Lazarus came closer and the Doctor moved away, shouting insults at Lazarus, who followed him around the room. Lily didn't need telling again, and she ran for the other end of the room. Behind her she could hear the Doctor taunting Lazarus, before he ran away, leading Lazarus to run around the corridors.

" What's he doing? " Tish hissed, as Lily joined them in the corner of the room.

" Buying us some time," Lily replied, " let's not waste it, huh? Move it! "

They ran for the doors along with the other people at the party. They were running and panicking at the same time, hurrying along down stairs which led to the doors of the main entrance. The doors were locked and Lily turned around, cursing.

Martha looked around for a security desk, but Lily reached down into her bra and pulled out her laser spanner. Dad was always telling her she needed to keep it with her, and she had done today, even if she had no pockets.

She pointed it at the doors and it flashed its blue light and left the doors to swing open.

" How did you do that? " Francine demanded whilst everyone else ran outside and left as quick as they could.

Lily shrugged, " Never mind that. Now ... I'm off to find ... my uncle. He told me to keep myself safe, but he should know by now that I don't listen. I need to be there ... he might need my help/ "

" I'm coming too," Martha said.

" You can't! " Francine protested, " that thing will kill you! "

" I don't care," Martha said, suprising Lily with her commitment to the Doctor

" This Doctor," Francine hissed," he's changed you! " She glared at Lily, " you and him are no good for her. "

" He was buying us time," Tish told her sister, " that means for you, too. "

" I'm not leaving him," Martha insisted, turning to look at Lily. Lily nodded and the pair of them ran back up the stairs and went off in search of the Doctor.

" You certainly are devoted," Lily said as they ran, her bare feet slapping against the ground.

"That's me," Martha said, " you're not getting rid of me any time soon, either! "

" Right now, I wouldn't dream of it! " Lily called back as they ran up another flight of stairs, both pulling up on their dresses so they could move their legs properly.

" Have you made up with your dad now? " Martha asked, " what's going on? "

" I don't know," Lily said, shaking her head and shouting in the frantic run, " we spend too much time nearly getting killed to stop and talk about things! But I can't leave him to die! He's still ym dad. "

They were running down a corridor when they heard a bang. Lily stopped and turned aroud, pointing down the hallway, " That'll be him! " Martha agreed and they ran down the corridor, where they both nearly ran into the Doctor as he came into the corridor.

" What are you doing? " he asked, shocked, " I wanted you both to get away safely. "

" Never mind that," Lily said, " you should know I don't listen to you. What have you done? "

" I blasted him," replied the Doctor proudly.

Lily grinned, " Did you kill him? "

There was a crashing at the end of the corridor and Martha cursed, turning her head that way. The Doctor grimaced, " More sort of annoyed him, I'd say. "

And they were off again.

Lily sometimes wondered if they'd ever stop running, but she really already knew the answer to that.

By the time they were back in the reception room, they were all out of ideas.

" We've come in a circle! " said Martha, " what now? " The question was answered by Lazarus bursting through the doors. The Doctor headed for the machine that had changed Lazarus. He pried the doors open and got inside, looking at the girls and hissing for them to get in.

It was a tight squeeze, but the pair of them were small and the Doctor was tall, but skinny. Lily found herself pressed against her Dad, where Martha had a little more space than the pair of them - Lily figured it would be easier for her to be so close to the Doctor than for Martha.

" Are we hiding? " Lily whispered, her voice almost muffled against her dad's shoulder.

" No, he knows we're in here," the Doctor said, " but this is his masterpiece. He won't destroy it. "

" So we're trapped," Martha said quietly.

" Well, yeah," the Doctor nodded," slight problem. "

" You don't have a plan? " Martha demanded.

" The plan was to get in here," the Doctor answered.

" Then what? " Lily asked.

The Doctor shrugged, " Well ... then I'd come up with another plan. " After a slight pause he reached into his pocket, with difficulty, and pulled out his screwdriver, planning on improvised. He slowly slid for the ground and pulled up a panel, while Lily and Martha tried to edge away to give him room - but there was no room.

" I don't understand where the genes come from," Martha said, " the monster thing - alien? "

"Strictly human in origin," the Doctor corrected, scanning the wires under the panel, " probably from dormant genes in Lazarus's DNA. The energy field in this thing must have reactivated them. And it looks like they're becoming dominant. "

" So it's a throwback? " Martha asked.

The Doctor nodded, " Locked away in the genes until Lazarus unlocked in by mistake. "

A blue light filled the capsule and Lily hissed, " Dad? Dad! We're screwed! What's going on? "

The Doctor looked around and sighed, " Looks like he's switched the machine on ... not good. I was hoping it would take him a little bit longer to work that out. "

The machine began to spin and Martha and Lily both told the Doctor to hurry up.

" Nearly done," he replied, " I'm trying to set the capsule to reflect energy rather than recieve it. I'm hoping it will kill him when he transforms, because he's three times his size, so he's spreading himself thin. "

" We're gonna end up like him! " Martha said desperately.

The Doctor pulled a wire while Lily wached anxiously. The energy field suddenly changed, and when the Doctor opened the door, Lazarus had been knocked out. Lily left the capsule and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that he was now motionless, though she felt kind of sorry for him - now he just looked like a human again.

The Doctor laid a hand on her shoulder, though she shrugged it off. " Come on," he said, turning away from her, feeling a little hurt, and looking at Martha, " let's get you back to your family. The medical services will take away his body now. "

The Doctor was right and they were standing in the doorway of the building while the medics took Lazarus away in a body bag. The Doctor, Lily and Martha stood there together, just watching and thinking about it, until Tish and Francine saw them and rushed over.

Tish hugged her sister, but Francine glared at the Doctor and brought her hand to his face slapping him sharply.

The Doctor clutched his cheek, and Lily felt quite annoyed at this - the Doctor hadn't done anything. He'd solved things. Lily took a step backwards, worried that she might be next in line for a slap.

" You stay away from my daughter," Francine hissed.

" Always the mothers," the Doctor groaned, " every time. "

" He's dangerous, Martha," Francine said, " they both are. You shouldn't be with these people. This girl too - she's not his niece - she's his daughter! Look at them, how can that be right? "

" What are you talking about? " asked Martha, shaking her head, " there's - "

Francine stepped forwards and grabbed her daughter's arm, " Look around you! Nothing but death and destruction! These people are no good for you! "

There was a crash and the Doctor hurried off to investigate. Lily decided to follow, curious as ever, leaving Martha and her mother to argue. Lily and the Doctor ran down the street, Martha and Tish following them.

They saw the ambulance, and the doors were open. Lily shook her head when she saw what had happened - Lazarus. Bloody Lazarus.

" Gone," the Doctor said, " back from the dead. Should have known. "

He whipped out his screwdriver and started scanning for their latest enemy before nodding and pointing, " That way. The church. "

" Cathedral," Tish corrected gently, " Southwark Cathedral, he told me. "

*****

The cathedral had a eerie feel to it because it was empty and there was no-one else around. They walked through slowly and the Doctor spotted Lazarus first. He pointed to him silently, where Lazarus was sitting at the altar, underneath the belltowers, a red ambulance towel wrapped around him.

" I came here before," Lazarus said, " a long time ago. I thought I was going to die then. In fact, I was sure of it ... I sat there, just a child ... the sound of planes and bombs outside. "

" The Blitz," nodded the Doctor.

" You've read about it," Lazarus acknowleged.

" I was there," the Doctor repled, as Lily thought of how she was too ... how she'd met Jack there. No, she told herself. She couldn't start thinking about him him.

" You're too young," Lazarus laughed, " and in the morning, the fires had died, and I was still alive. I swore then that I'd never face death like that again. "

The Doctor moved forwards, and the others were about to follow, but the Doctor held out a hand and told them to stay where they were. Tish didn't seem to like taking orders, but she did as she was told anyway.

The Doctor moved closer and their voices were too low for Lily to hear, though she hoped things were going well. She found herself feeling a little sorry for Lazarus when he spoke about the Blitz and almost dying, but then she told herself she couldn't feel sorry for him. He was a monster.

As they spoke, Martha looked up at the bell towers. Lazarus started to mutate again, and Martha hurried to the Doctor's side, though Lily was unsure what to do. She paused before deciding to go over there too.

Martha goaded Lazarus as he changed and he started to follow after her.

" Up to the bell tower," the Doctor said, " up there! "

Lily watched in suprise at the lengths Martha was willing to go to. The Doctor told Martha to lead him right up to the top, and she and Tish ran off. Lily was about to follow, but the Doctor grabbed her arm and yanked her back.

" Not you," he said, " leave it to them. "

" They're risking their lives - why shouldn't I? " Lily demanded.

The Doctor dropped her arm and shook his head, " they can do it. We have another job. C'mon. "

He ran off in one direction and Lily watched him carefully, before deciding to put aside her anger at him for a moment and follow him. They ran to the pipe organ, where the Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver, muttering on about hypersonic sound waves, and then jammed it into a slot in the organ.

"What are you waiting for? " the Doctor said, " you can play! Play! "

Lily grinned. She'd been a pianist a long time ago, and there was still a piano in the library or when she felt like it. She sat down and started to play, though after a few moments, nothing was happening. The Doctor sighed, looking up and grimacing when he saw Lazarus attacking Tish and Martha.

The Doctor poked Lily's side to make her move over. She shifted and he sat down next to her, cracking his fingers and starting to play. His playing was loud and combined with Lily's play, Lily felt sure that they were playing well enough to solve everything.

The Doctor turned the volume up and they continued to play the organ as loud as they could.

There was a loud bang and a crash, along with a horrifying screech. Lily stopped playing and stood up, turning around. She hurried away from the organ and stopped when she saw Lazarus. Dead. He was laying on the ground, returned to human form. The body was old again, and Lily felt awful just looking at it - it was so sad that he'd been a normal man turned to evil, and was now vunerable again.

She didn't realised what was going on around her until there was a noise from the side, and Tish and Martha had joined them. Martha hugged the Doctor with a smile and in huge relief, and then Lily smiled and came to hug Lily too.

Lily had now accepted Martha as a friend, and couldn't help but think about they should keep Martha around. Martha could be brilliant friend, and wasn't going to leave them. Lily knew Martha would want to stick with them.

" Come on," the Doctor said, looking at Lily, " let's get home. "

Martha looked at Tish, and the two women nodded. " We should go back to mum," Martha said, " she'll be worried about us. " Martha stopped and looked at the Doctor and Lily, " but I ... I'll come to talk to you ... I ... don't go. "

The Doctor just smiled at her, " Me and Lils will go back to the TARDIS and we'll be there until you get there. "

Martha went off to talk to her mother, who gave her a huge hug in the street and allowed her mother to fuss over her. The Doctor watched her and then carried on down the street, Lily following him, still barefoot. She winced as she walked, her feet scratched on the pavement as she started to limp along.

" Are you alright? " the Doctor asked.

Lily sighed, " I'll feel a lot better when I can rest. My feet are killing and I've got a headache coming on. "

" Lily," the Doctor said sadly, reaching out and trying to take her hand.

Lily shook her head and moved her hand away from his, " Don't," she said, " I still can't .... I can't look at you properly. I just want everything to be how it was a year ... year and a half ago. "

They fell into silence until they got back to the TARDIS and then they entered their ship.

" What now? " Lily asked, leaning against the console of the TARDIS.

" We wait for Martha. "

Lily nodded and they were in silence once again. Lily couldn't bring herself to say anything to her dad, and the Doctor didn't want to try to talk to her because he knew she wouldn't respond properly.

Lily broke the silence, looking across at the Doctor and asking, " What about Martha? She's going to come with us, isn't she? "

The Doctor shrugged, " She might not want to. "

" She will," Lily said simply.

" Do you want her to come? " the Doctor asked.

Lily thought about it and then nodded, " Yeah. I like having her around. And I know she won't want to stay here because ... because she's," Lily was about to say Martha loved the Doctor but decided it wasn't the best idea to tell him that. He loved Rose still, she had no romantic feelings for Martha, " because she likes being here. "

There was a knock on the door and the Doctor and Lily looked at each other, and the Doctor swung open the door and stepped outside. Lily followed him outside, and Martha was standing there with a smile.

" Well," the Doctor nodded, " guess this was something else that just escalated. "

" I can see a pattern developing," Martha agreed, " you should take more care in the future. And the past, and whatever other time period you find yourself in. "

" Oh, but it's good fun," Lily smiled.

" Yeah," Martha nodded.

The Doctor rocked backwards on his heels and was grinning wildly at Martha, " What do you say then? One more trip? "

" No," Martha said, suprising Lily somewhat, since she'd felt certain Martha could come with them.

" I thought you liked it," the Doctor said, sounding suprised too.

" I do," Martha told them both, " but not like this. One more trip - not like this. It's not fair. "

" What? " Lily asked, raising her eyebrows, " you want to come, don't you? "

" Yeah, but I don't want to be a passenger anymore," Martha told them both, looking from one to th other as she said her piece, " someone you take along for a treat. If that's how you see me, then I'd rather stay here. "

The Doctor nodded, " If that's what you want. "

Lily grinned, but Martha sighed and then shook her head, not understanding him, " Well," she said, " we've already said goodbye once, so it's best if you just ... just go. "

Lily was confused as Martha walked away, but Martha soon stopped and turned back.

" Hang on a minute," she said, " what are you still doing here? "

The Doctor shrugged, " What? I said okay. "

" Sorry? "

Lily laughed, " For God's sake Martha, you can come. Full time. Welcome aboard, go pick a bedroom and all that. "

Martha grinned, realising she was getting exactly what she wanted, and hugged the Doctor first, with such force that they almost went into the TARDIS. She thanked him again and then turned to Lily, hugging her too.

" You were never just a passenger, were you? " the Doctor told Martha as he shut the door behind them.

" Besides," Lily said, " we can come back and visit your family. And we'll _definitley _have to make sure we get you back in time for the election, so you can vote for that hot Saxon guy. "

The Doctor rolled his eyes, " You're supposed to vote for the person who has the best policies, Lils," he told her patiently.

Lily shrugged, " They're all the same anyway. Except some are better looking than others. "


	10. Daddy's Girl

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**Author's Note: Just this chapter, Human Nature/Family of Blood then the reunion stuff.**

**Also, I'm writing these episodes several days before I post them, so as I'm writing this I'm watching a repeat of **_**End of Time, **_**Ten's last episode, on BBC3. I loved David Tennant as the Doctor so it inspired me to make Lily and the Doctor have this little chapter and have a love-in.**

Chapter Ten

They each decided that it had been a long enough day, and they could do with some rest. Martha said her goodnights to the pair of time travellers and then went off to bed, leaving Lily and the Doctor alone.

There was an awkward silence, before Lily cleared her throat and brought a hand to her head, rubbing one temple, " I'm going to go to bed. I could do with some sleep. "

" Lily, please," he said, hoping they could make it up, but she didn't want any of it. She lifted her hand up and shook her head.

" Don't," she told him, " I said I'm going to bed."

Without another word, she strode past him and disappeared through the double doors, going towards her bedroom. She left the Doctor behind and all he could do was think about how terrible a father he'd been. How his little girl deserved so much better.

He'd made many mistakes during his past, but he always thought that Lily was the one thing he'd done right. She was perfect and he always thought he'd done a good job bringing her up, and still did a good job. The way he saw it, whatever mistakes he made, at least he had Lily.

But now he wasn't so sure. Now all the could think of himself was that he'd even failed with his daughter.

***

Meanwhile, Lily was sitting on her bed. She'd changed into a pair of pink polka dot pajamas and wanted to go to sleep, but her head pounded and she couldn't even think straight, let alone go to bed and have a peaceful night's sleep.

She didn't usually get headaches, but when she did they were very bad, and she now sat on the edge of her bed, one hand across her head as she rubbed and tried to make the pain go away.

Deciding it wasn't happening, she slipped on a pair of fluffy pink slippers and opened the door of her room. She slipped quietly into the corridor and headed for the kitchen, deciding a glass of water might solve things.

She wandered along, grimacing as she put a hand to her head. The kitchen was a few corridors away from her room, and she was halfway there when she passed the library door and saw that it was open a crack, the light inside switched on

She stopped outside the door, lingering in the corridor. She knew her Dad must be in there, because Martha wouldn't know her way around the TARDIS, and the Doctor did so love to read.

She was debating going in when the matter was resolved for her, as the door swung open.

The Doctor looked mildly suprised when he saw her there, and this immediately turned to concern when he saw the pained look on her face, and how pale she was - even paler than usual.

" I've got a headache," she said weakly, " it's ... it's really bad. "

The Doctor felt a rush of love for his daughter as she stood in front of him, vunerable and hurt, and knew that he'd do anything for her. He reached out to take her hand and towed her into the room gently, shutting the door behind them.

The library was a large room, filled with tons and tons of books, with a grand piano in the corner. The Doctor had been sititng in his favourite red arm chair, but now sat Lily down on a long red sofa and sat down beside her.

" It hurts," Lily said, shaking her head, barely able to make sense of anything.

" I think you need a Doctor," the Doctor said gently, turning to her and tucking a strand of hair behind her ear carefully " want me to get rid of it? "

Lily nodded, knowing that he had the power to do that, the same way he could read minds and make a psychic link if he wanted to. She'd seen him do it with people before, including Madame De Pompadour, and knew he could take the headache away at no pain to himself.

She nodded, forgetting all her anger at him, and putting it all aside.

" Close your eyes, darling," he said. She obeyed and jumped slightly when felt his fingertips at her temples, even though she was expecting it. He made a quiet shushing noise as her eyelids flickered, and she tried closed her eyes properly again.

There was a pause during which her splitting headache only seemed to be worse. The gentle fingers on her head moved slightly, moving around in gentle little circles.

" It's not working," Lily moaned quietly.

" It will do. I promise," the Doctor told her, at which point she felt like a small child again who just needed some comfort. They'd always been close and she just felt like right now she needed him, " I need you to clear your mind. Stop thinking about it, or it won't work. "

Lily heaved a sigh and tried to do as she was told, though her mind was full of everything ... Jack, as always. Her arguments with her dad, and where they could go next. Martha joining them. All the things they'd done recently. She told herself none of it mattered, and with tremendous effort, tried to get rid of all the thoughts.

" You're doing it," the Doctor said cautiously, concentrating and taking all the pain away and relieving her of the pain, trying to take it away and expell it, "good ... nearly there ... "

Lily could feel the pain slipping away and it was as if it just trickled away. With one last pound of her head, it was gone.

Then his fingers were gone too and she opened her eyes slowly. She blinked and looked straight at her dad, who had his own eyes closed, thinking about expelling the pain. He was muttering a few words and his eyes shot open suddenly.

" There! " he announced, " all done! "

Lily nodded and stood up slowly, " Thanks Dad. " She looked at the door, and was about to leave when she changed her mind. Instead, she sat back down on the sofa, where the Doctor just looked at her, unsure of what to do. He usually took charge of any situation, but Lily was the one thing he was scared of sometimes - scared of losing her. He didn't want to do anything in such a delicate situation.

He was watching her carefully and Lily stared at him. She scanned his face, and then her eyes rested on his. Neither of them said a word, and Lily looked into his eyes, trying to work out how he was feeling.

His eyes were so deep and brown and he seemed much more expressive and emotional than any of his other regenerations, and all Lily could see in his eyes was sorrow. In that moment, she realised that she was causing him all the pain. He may have done wrong, but now she was punishing him and it was hurting them both.

" Oh Dad," she said, leaning forwards. The Doctor hugged her, grateful for the contact. Their argument might not have been a very long one, but they hardly ever fought like that, and it was such a serious argument that he felt sure she'd never talk to him again.

Their hug was a long one and when they broke apart, the Doctor's hands were on her shoulders. Lily smiled as he dropped his hands and then she sat back against the sofa, the Doctor relaxing beside her.

He looked sideways at her with anticipation, and Lily shifted closer to him and rested her head against his shoulder, bringing one hand over and curling it into the material of his suit jacket, vaguely wondering why he was still wearing the suit.

" I'm so sorry," he said quietly, " the whole Jack thing ... I was completely inexcusable, and if I could take it back ... I've regretted it ever since .... I can't begin to tell you ... I'm just so sorry that I did that to you. "

" I know," Lily said simply.

There was a pause but the Doctor quickly broke it by adding, " Sometimes I feel like the worst father in the world. Well - scratch that, ever since what I did to you, I _always_ feel like the worst father in the world. It's my job to look after you and give you the best life I can do. And I've ... I've failed. "

Lily didn't know what to say.

The Doctor continued, " You were always the most important thing in your mother's life. We used to talk about how she wanted you to turn out ... she always wanted you to have such a brilliant life. I'm sorry, I know we don't talk about her enough. "

" It ... it doesn't matter," Lily muttered.

" It does," the Doctor insisted, " when the Time War came, your mother and I knew we might not both make it through, and we knew Gallifrey might not survive. We agreed that if one of us died, the other would make sure you were safe and happy, no matter what. And ... unfortunately she died so that's what had to happen. I loved your mother very much, and now I've failed her. One thing, she wanted me to do, if anything happened to her, and I couldn't even do that. "

Lily lifted her head from him, keeping her hand flat on his chest, and looked at him. She had few memories of the three of them as a family, but what she did remember of her mother, she was a warm, loving woman.

She was astounded to see tears threatening to fall from her dad's eyes as he thought about the woman he'd loved on Gallifrey, such a long time ago.

" Don't," she said, shaking her head, " you could never have failed mum. You've never failed me ... even if you've made mistakes and gone really wrong, you could never fail me. Don't you get it, dad? You're the best dad I could ever have asked for. Without a doubt, no question about it, you're the best father in the universe. "

The Doctor just looked at her, " How can you be so positive? I've done so wrong by you recently, and you ... you ... "

" And I need you," Lily said, " whatever happens, whoever else comes and goes, its still me and you, right? So the past is the past, and yeah, I'm mad about it, but I can't stay mad at you. It just ... doesn't work. "

The Doctor smiled at her, tears shining in his eyes as he kissed her forehead.

" My darling," he said, as she leant her head against him again and they sat in contentment.

" No more secrets, right? " she said, halfway to drifting off to sleep

The Doctor had considered telling her or not, but knew he had to tell her everything now - she was willing to forgive him, and that was so much more than he deserved. He said, " Actually, there is one thing ... I don't know how to say it ... when Rose brought Jack to life .... "

" What is it? " Lily asked, looking up.

" Jack's immortal, Lils," the Doctor said gently, " when Rose brought him back to life, she managed to bring him back for good. He ... he's a fixed point in time now. "

Lily was completely stunned by this, and didn't know what to say. On one hand her emotions were telling her that this was brilliant because she had more chance of finding him if they both had so much time. Plus she didn't have to worry about him being human - if he could live forever, and she could live for a very long time, they were much more equal than if one was human and the other a time lady. On the other hand, she was a time lord, and something like an immortal man was an anomaly, and shouldn't happen. She soon pushed that thought out of her head, and thought that this was Jack. Anything to do with Jack had to be good.

" Immortal? " she asked quietly, " seriously? "

The Doctor nodded.

Lily paused, unsure how to feel, and then smiled, " This is brilliant! If Jack can live forever, and we've got ages to travel in time and space, then ... then there's much more chance of finding him! I really might find him one day! "

She laughed and he smiled at how happy she was, stroking her hair idly.

" Brilliant," Lily muttered, " the rest of time and space ... brilliant. "

She laughed to herself and the pair of them fell into a comfortable silence.

" Hey, I didn't get chance to ask," Lily said after a moment, " the other thing the Face of Boe said - You are not alone. What do you think to that one? "

" What do _you _think? " the Doctor asked.

Lily frowned, curling up against him, " It .... I thought it meant that we're not the last time lords, ladies, whatever. Surely that's what he had to mean, but it can't be right, can it? We know if there's others around, don't we? I can ... I can feel it, up here," she tapped her head, " maybe not very strongly, and probably not as much as you can, but I know there's just me an' you. "

" Smart girl," the Doctor said, " definitley my girl. And yeah, I can feel it too. I just ... know. It feels like there's no-one else. There's only you and me, and I'm sure there's no-one else. "

" Then what did it mean? " Lily asked.

" I don't know," the Doctor said, " I've thought it through, but I can't think of any other explanations. " He heaved a sigh and shook his head, " ah well, never mind. I'm sure we'll figure it out in the end. "

When he got no reply, he looked down to see that his daughter's eyes were half closed ad she was barely listening.

" Sorry Lils," he said, " you're tired. Get some sleep. "

Lily nodded and sat up but the Doctor smiled fondly and pulled her back down to him, " Who needs a bed? " he teased her, " you've got a perfectly good cushion here. "

Lily nodded, " Can't be bothered to get to bed anyway," she said, resting her head against him once more and curling up against him.

" I ... I love you Lils," the Doctor said closing his own eyes as he leaned against the back of the sofa

" Love you," she muttered sleepily.


	11. Human Nature

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**Author's Note: This is probably the most difficult chapter I've written so far because with most chapters, I've been able to slip Lily into the story quite easily, but not in this one. It's a bit hard to fit Lily into this story, but I really wanted to do it.**

**Also, sorry if human Lily seems a bit weird, but I wanted to make it clear that she's still Lily, but she's got to be different, too. I think human Lily's more plain, more sensible than actual Lily.**

**And, I've written Utopia, so the reunion will be up soon! xD**

Chapter Eleven

Time passed and the Doctor, Lily and Martha were comfortable on the TARDIS, travelling around and getting into trouble.

It was hard to say exactly how much time had passed, because no-one could keep track of time on the TARDIS, but it had to have been several months. They didn't mean to keep on travelling so long, but it just happened. Going here there and everywhere as usual, without even stopping to visit Martha's family - they kept meaning to, but going to other places before and putting off the journey to Martha's family.

Lily and Martha had become good friends, and Lily felt that even though she'd initially not liked Martha, and Martha still annoyed her sometimes, she was glad to have her around. She wasn't Rose, and she wasn't the same, but she different. Good sort of different.

Lily also knew that Martha's love for the Doctor had increased, as she could tell when she saw the way Martha looked at the Doctor. She felt sorry for Martha, because the Doctor was so clearly oblivious, as always.

The Doctor and Lily were also getting along well. Lily had put aside all of her anger towards her dad because he was really all she had and he'd always tried to hard. She needed him. The pair of them were as thick as thieves again, but Lily hadn't put aside her thoughts about Jack.

She was determined to look for Jack and was certain that she'd find him one day, but there was the whole of time and space and she had no idea where to go. Everywhere they went, Lily asked people if they'd heard of a Captain Jack Harkness, but no-one had. She had no idea where to go, but she knew she needed him.

***

As usual, they were in trouble. The Family of Blood had been chasing them for days, determined to catching Lily and the Doctor. They were gaining of them and there was very little they could do.

They'd gotten near this TARDIS this time, and the TARDIS was going mental, sparking eveeywhere and shaking around. The Doctor ran inside and slammed the door after the girls.

" All ok? " he demanded, though he didn't wait for an answer before asking Martha, " did they see you? Did they see you? "

" I don't know! " Martha said, panicked.

" Did they see you? " the Doctor repeated

" I don't know, I was too busy running," Martha replied loudly.

" Martha, it's important! " the Doctor said, " did they see your face? "

" They couldn't have! " Martha replied while the Doctor rushed for the controls. Lily came to stand beside him, feeling nervous and worried about what was going to happen next. She stood close to her dad as he fiddled with the controls.

The Doctor groaned as he saw symbols on the screen.

Lily sighed when she saw them, " We're screwed, aren't we? " she asked, " they're never going to stop. They're ... "

" They're following us," the Doctor finished, with a nod.

" How can they do that? " asked Martha frowning in confusion, " you've got a time machine! "

" Stolen technology," the Doctor told her quickly, while Lily ran a hand through her hair worrying about what to do, " they've got a time agent's vortex manipulator. They can follow us wherever we go, and they're never going to stop. "

He also ran a hand through his hair and tutted, his hand shaking with nerves.

" Unless," he said quietly, " Unless ... yeah ... I'll have to do it. "

Lily looked up at him, wondering if he was thinking what she'd been thinking - she too could only think of one solution to this: hiding.

" Are you serious? " she asked him, " can we really do it? "

" Do we have a choice? " he asked, looking at her before turning away and looking at Martha. "Martha, you trust me, don't you? "

" Of course I do," Martha said at once, not suprising Lily.

" This all depends on you," the Doctor said.

He turned his back on them and got on his knees, searching under the console. Lily watched him, thinking about what they were going to do - turning themselves human. She couldn't begin to think about the details of it, and how many problems it could cause. When he turned around, he was holding two ornate pocket watches. One was silver with patterns over the back, and the other was gold, with small gems over it.

" Take these watches, because our lives depend on it. This watch, Martha - one is me, and one is Lily. "

Martha took the watches from him and the Doctor was satisfied as he ran off around the other side of the controls. The console was sparking violently, and the Doctor gritted his teeth in anger as he ran around the controls, muttering to himself and growling in anger.

Lily watched, terrified. She'd no idea what to do and she stood watching him, jumped as one of the sparks came near her.

" Gotcha," Martha nodded, before shaking her head, " no, sorry, completely lost. "

" Those creatures are hunters," the Doctor said, " they can sniff anyone out, and me and Lils being Time Lords, well, we're pretty unique. They can track us down across the whole of time and space. They can smell us, but they haven't seen us. Their life's bound ot be running out, so we wait for them to die. We hide. "

" But they can track us down," Martha said, confused.

The Doctor sighed and stopping moving, looking at her completely serious, " That's why I've got to do this. I've got to stop being a Time Lord. I need to become a human. And I need Lily to be safe, so we're going to become human. "

Lily sighed but said nothing, biting her lip in worry.

The Doctor took the stopwatches from Martha and looked at his, " Never thought I'd use this. All the times I've wondered ... "

Lily had heard about using the stopwatch before, and the Doctor had told her all about it, but she'd never thought much about it. She couldn't imagine becoming a human because it was so different. She wondered now how it would work - she knew the TARDIS would find them a story, and make it seem like they'd always been there, but she didn't know if they'd get a place together. If the TARDIS would work out stories for them in the same place. She knew she'd be a different person with no memories of her real life, and no idea who she really was.

" What does it do? " Marth asked, breaking Lily's train of thought.

" Chameleon arch," the Doctor said, " re-writes biology. Literally changes every cell in the body. This is going to make me into a human. Me and Lily need to become human so we can blend in. We won't even know we're time lords. The only person who'll know the truth is you. "

" No pressure," Martha muttered.

" The TARDIS will take care of everything," the Doctor said," invent a life story for me, and Lily, find a setting and integrate us. "

Lily bit her lip and looked at the Doctor, " It will keep us together, right? We can't get split up - I won't know who you are! I can't ... we can't ... "

The Doctor shook his head, " Don't worry about it. The TARDIS knows us inside out, and the TARDIS is clever. She knows we're closely related, so she'll take that into account when she re-writes our life. " Turning to Martha, he added, " can't do the same for you, so you'll just have to improvise. We'll have just enough residual awareness to let you in. "

Lily was standing there, arms folded, and the Doctor looked at her, " You're awfully quiet. I don't like it when you're quiet - quiet doesn't suit you. "

" Just worried," she shrugged, letting her arms drop by her side, " I'm not going to know about any of this. I'm going to think I'm some normal human? "

The Doctor nodded, " But you wouldn't have known any different, so you'll be fine. I'll be around - might not be your dad, I don't know what the TARDIS will come up with, but we're both going to be fine. Martha's going to take care of us. Hopefully she'll be a friend to us, and everything will be alright. "

Lily didn't look convinced, " What if - "

The Doctor laid one hand on her shoulder and tilted her chin up with his other hand - he was much taller than his previous regeneration, and he'd been taller than her even then. " Lily," he said, forcing her to look at him, " I promise that everything will be alright. We have to do this to make them go away. Everything will be alright, I promise. "

Lily nodded and he smiled slighty, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear in the way he did so often. Her hair had once been a bob, but she'd since let it go, and it just fell past her shoulders. He let his hand linger for a moment, before straightening up - there was not time. They had to get on with this.

" Hang on a minute," Martha said as the Doctor put both fob watches into the console, " if you're going to re-write your biology, isn't that going to hurt? "

"Oh yeah," the Doctor said, " it hurts. "

" Oh god," Lily muttered, " you first then. "

The Doctor shook his head, " You first, so I know you're alright. And so you don't have to watch it happen to me - it's not nice. "

Lily nodded reluctantly and the Doctor stood by the console, ready to activate her stopwatch. He winked at her and she smiled weakly before he pulled the lever.

The first thing she felt was pain. She bit her lip to stop herself screaming out as a shroud of light surrounded her and the pain coursed through every part of her body. She wanted it to stop right away but knew there was nothing she could do about it.

Eventually it became too much and there was a horrible wailing sound. It took her a moment to realise it was her own cry of pain.

***

Lillian Smith was sitting in her living quarters, in the fancy victorian room, in the fancy victorian building. She sat on the cream sofa, one leg crossed over the other neatly as she was absorbed in her book. This was her living space, in the building that she and the other teachers lived in, and together with the bedroom at the other side of the door on the left, was her home.

She was wearing a black skirt which reached the ground and a pair of smart black pumps. She also wore a short sleeved cream blouse and a little lacy shawl around her shoulders. Her dark hair was piled ontop of her head, with a few loose strands hanging by her face.

There was a knock on the bedroom door and she called out to let the person come in.

" Ah, good morning Martha," she smiled as the maid came in, carrying a tray of breakfast.

" Good morning Miss," Martha replied courteously, setting the tray down and going to open the curtains. Lily knew Martha fairly well and thought she was harmless enough. Martha had been her family's maid for years, and had moved to the school with them. Luckily, the boarding school was well-off, and they needed their maids.

When the curtains were open, Lillian smiled, " Ah, what a lovely day. It's always so much better when the sun is shining," she said, her upperclass accent shining through.

" You're in good spirits this morning, Miss," Martha said with a nod, " your uncle was the same. I saw him before I came here. Telling me of his dreams again. "

Lillian smiled fondly, putting her book down, " He dreams impossible things," she said, " and last night, I had one of his extraordinary dreams too. I dreamt that I, you and my uncle were travelling around space in a police telephone box. Isn't that odd? "

" Very odd," Martha nodded, rearranging the cushions on the sofa.

" I think we were time travellers - from another world," Lillian said, " just like my uncle says he dreams of. "

" Well, that's impossible," Martha said, " I've told Mr Smith as much, and I can prove it to you, Miss. " She reached for a newspaper and held it out, " Today's newspaper. Monday 10th November, 1913. No space, no time travel. Just here. "

Lillian smiled and took the newspaper, " Of course," she said, " dreams are silly fancy things. I have more important things to do. "

Martha nodded and Lillian smiled, " You may go. "

Martha bobbed a little curtsey and left Lillian alone. Lillian shook her head - these dreams, such ridiculous things. What kind of example would that set to the boys? They had work to do - there was no time to mess about. She was there to teach them, not tell them about things that couldn't exist.

***

When she'd finished her breakfast, Lillian left her tray where it was, knowing Martha would collect it later, and went to the entrance of the building where the teachers lived, just across the field from the school building.

As always, Lillian's uncle was standing in the entrance, waiting for her. John Smith was her father's younger brother, but as her parents had died several years ago, John was the only family she had left. They got on very well and John was always looking out for her. She remembered him playing with her as a child, and then looking after her, allowing her to move in with him when her parents died. Then finding her the job at the school, when he found out he had a job here.

" Good morning uncle," she said brightly.

" Good morning Lillian," John said as she got to his side. There was no real family resemblance between them. Lillian was short curvy and pale with black hair and blue eyes. John was tall, thin, brown haired and brown eyed.

" I trust you slept well? " John asked as they walked through the school grounds.

" I did," Lillian nodded, " though I fear your impossible dreams are rubbing off on me, uncle. Last night I dreamt we were travelling in space in a telephone box. "

John laughed, " Isn't it odd how the mind works? "

Lillian shrugged and they strolled past a group of boys marching around the flagpole while one boy hoisted the Union Flag up. Several students called good morning to their teachers as they passed - John and Lillian were both rather well liked by their students.

They were through the doors when the bell rang. Lillian sighed and pulled her shawl tigher around her shoulders with one hand and lifted up the bottom of her skirt with the other as they walked up the stairs.

" Well," she said, stopping at the top of the stairs by one of the doors, " I suppose I'd better teach these boys some literature. "

Half an hour later, Lillian's lesson was in full swing. She stopped at the front of the classroom, a cane in one hand and a book in the other. The boys were chatting amongst themselves, as they so often did, and Lillian couldn't help but wonder why she bothered sometimes.

" Will you please shut up! " she shouted over their chatting, " we've all read the extract together, and the questions are on the blackboard. I want them all answered by the end of lesson. Get to it. "

She set the work and then walked off around the classroom, looking over the boys shoulders as she did so, seeing who was doing what. She suddenly saw a piece of paper fly across the room and turning around to see Jeremy Baines grinning to his friends.

She staled towards him, one hand on her hip, and snapped the cane down on the desk in front of him, " Baines! Are you incapable of doing the given task? "

" No ma'am," Baines said, shaking his head and having the grace to look embarrassed.

" Good," Lillian nodded, " then get on with it, unless you want to recieve three times the amount of homework everyone else gets. "

" Yes ma'am. "

After the lesson, Lillian was humming to herself as she walked down the staircase, armed with a pile of books. Being a literature and language teacher seemed to suit her very well, and she could spend all day sitting there with her books.

As the bottom of the staircase, Martha and another maid were on their knees, scrubbing at the floor.

" Good morning Miss," Martha said, looking up, and breaking away from conversation with the other maid.

Lillian looked down with a smile, " Hello Martha," she said, walking away only to drop a couple of her books, cursing to herself quietly. A small hand reached out and a young boy reached for it and gave it to her. Lillian smiled gratefully as she took her books back from the young boy she recognised as Tim Latimer.

" Thank you, Latimer," she said, with a nod, before the young boy nodded and walked away.

Lilllian was rearranging the books in her arms as she heard Martha and the other maid, who name she thought was Jenny, laughing. Lillian paid no attention to them, but heard two of the elder boys suddenly.

" Now then you two," Baines said, looking down on the maids, and not noticing his literacy teacher a short way off, " you're not paid to have fun, are you? Put a little backbone into it. "

" Yes sir," Jenny nodded.

" You there," Hutchinson, an arrogant boy, said to Martha, " What's your name? "

" Martha, sir. Martha Jones," Martha replied.

" Tell me then, Jones," said Hutchinson, " with hands like those, how can you tell when something's clean? "

Lillian looked up when she heard those words and felt a rush of annoyance - she knew racism was sometimes quite strong, and some of the boys loved to lord it over the maids just because they could, but it wasn't acceptable, when Martha had done nothing wrong.

" Hutchinson," Lillian said, lowering the books and stepping closer to him as Baines and Hutchinson laughed cruelly, " having fun, are you? "

Hutchinson shrugged, " Just a little joke, ma'am. "

Lillian raised her eyebrows, " How about we keep such jokes to a miniumum in my presence. And you Baines, had better watch youself. This is the second time I've spoken to you in a very short space of time. "

With one last glance, she swept past them.

She continued to walk down the corridor, and passed the Matron, Nurse Redfern, a woman older than herself, with a kindly demeanour and a simple smile.

" Feeling better this week, Miss Smith? " the Nurse asked, as they stopped to talk in the corridor, " I worried you might be catching a dreadful cold last week. "

" Much better now, Matron," Lillian replied.

" Glad to hear it," nodded Nurse Redfern, " you're all better in time for the dance at the village hall. Tomorrow, remember? Do you think you'll go? "

Lillian shrugged, " I don't rightly know. I'm not much of a dancer - certainly, I have no-one to go with. Yourself? "

" It's been a long time since I went for a dance," replied Nurse Redfern, " and I have no-one to go with either. I'd consider attending if I had a few friends going - someone to talk to? "

Lillian smiled, " You've twisted my arm, Nurse Redfern. They're aren't enough women working here - we must stick together. "

As they parted ways, Lillian thought about how friendly the Nurse was. There was a very motherly, caring quality to her, that Lillian thought was nice, and the pair of them always held civil conversations.

***

Lillian was on her way to have some lunch when one of the other teachers - Mr Morgan, of Arithmatic - stopped her in the corridor.

" How's John? " he asked.

Lillian raised her eyebrows, not knowing what he was talking about, " John? Why, what have you heard? "

" You mean _you _didn't hear? " Mr Morgan asked, " John took a tumble down the stairs not long ago. I think he's alright, but I don't know much about it. "

" I've got to go," Lillian said quickly, turning around and heading for his study, where she assumed she'd find him. She didn't stop to say hello to any of the students who called greetings to her, and was focused on her uncle - he was all she had. He had to be alright, because he'd been like a dad to her after the lokk of her parents.

She raised a hand and knocked on the door, her hand shaking.

When he called for her to come in, she swung the door open quickly and sighed in relief when she saw him sat down on the edge of his desk, Nurse Redfern pressing a cold cloth to his head.

" Uncle John," she said, shoving the door shut behind her and rushing forwards, " you're alright! "

" Of course I am," he said with a small smile, " it was just a clumsy fall. "

" I thought maybe ... " she started, not sure how she was going to finish anyway.

" You worry too much," John told her, " I'm fine. Nurse Redfern is seeing to that. "

Lillian nodded, and the door burst open again. This time, Martha stood there breathless from running. " Is he alright? " she demanded quickly.

Both Lillian and Nurse Redfern, as well as John, were suprised by this and stopped to stare at Martha. Nurse Redfern was the one who spoke up first, " Martha, it's hardly good form to enter a master's study without knocking first. "

" Sorry, right, yeah," Martha said, sounding a little annoyed, running to the door, knocking on it and coming back in, " but is he alright, though? They said you fell down the stairs, sir."

" Just a tumble," the Doctor mumbled.

" Have you checked for concussion? " Martha demanded of the Nurse.

Lillian frowned as she looked at Martha, " Come now Martha, Nurse Redfern knows how to do her job. I hardly think ... "

" I know more about this than you, thank you," Nurse Redfern said, miffed.

Martha seemed to remember her place and she turned away to tidy John's things. Lillian watched her uncle carefully, trying to see how damaged he was. Satisifed that the nurse was taking care of it, and her uncle her in no real danger, she sat on the edge of the desk, beside him.

" I was just telling Nurse Redfern - Matron - about my dreams," John said, " the are remarkable tales. " He looked at Nurse Joan and started telling her, " I keep imagining I'm someone else, and that I'm hiding. Um ... er ... almost every night - this is going to sound silly - "

Lillian smiled fondly. Uncle John was funny sometimes without even meaning to be, and Lillian was always happy to be around him.

" Tell me," said Nurse Redfern.

" I dream, quite often, that I have two hearts," John said. Lillian supressed a smirk - he had so many dreams, and he was always off in one day dream or another.

Nurse Redfern simply smiled, and Lillian thought she saw a loving little look pass between them, as the nurse put a stethoscope to her uncle's heart and listened, before moving it over to the other side of the chest. Lillian smiled and thought about how daft the whole thing was.

" I can confirm the diagnosis," Nurse Redfern said, " Just one heart - singular. "

Lillian laughed and swatted at her uncle's arm, telling him not to be so ridiculous. Uncle John agreed and called himself a crazy fool, while Lillian told him he could never be a fool, and the nurse looked on at their close relationship with a smile, and Martha watched from the edges.

" I've written some of these down in the form of fiction," John told Joan, " not that it would be of any interest ... "

" I'd be very interested," came the reply, to which John stared at the nurse in amazement for a minute, before reaching for a notebook.

As the pair of them flicked through John's drawings and notes, Lillian watched them standing close together, sharing lingering looks and laughing as they looked through the book, and suddenly felt like she was intruding. Nurse Redfern was a nice woman, and Lillian thought that Uncle John deserved to be with someone. As long as she'd known him, he'd never been close to any women, but Nurse Redfern could be good for him.

Turning away from John and Joan, she turned her attention to Martha who seemed to have gritted her teeth as she was dusting, and looked quite strained. Almost, annoyed.

" Are you quite alright, Martha? " Lillian asked as they heard Nuse Redfern and John laughing behind them.

Martha looked up, suprised and then nodded, trying to wave it off and going back to her dusting. Lillian however, was an intelligent woman, and could see the look in Martha's eyes - it was like Martha knew something they didn't, and something was bothering her, though Lillian couldn't imagine what it was.

" You're sure? " Lillian asked, " I know we're not exactly the same class and everything, but ... I'm here to talk, if you like. "

Martha looked at her, and then nodded, " Thank you ma'am," she said.

The school bell rang, and Lillian picked up her books and looked at her uncle, " You be careful, you," she told him, " you're far too clumsy for your own good," she added, before heading off to her next class.

As she walked down the corridor, Lillian had a sudden thought about Martha. Martha was always around and since they'd come to the school, Lillian thought she was always watching over she and uncle John, as if she was in charge of them.

Hmmm. Odd.

***

That evening, Lillian went to the local pub with her uncle. The village was a short walk away, and they'd decided to go for a quick drink, as there was little else to to do in the area.

Lillian finished off her drink and put down the glass on the table, looking up at John, who was tying a scarf around his neck.

" Cold out there," he said, " I hope you're getting wrapped up. "

Lillian did as she was told and tied her scarf around her neck before reaching for her gloves and pulling them on. When they were ready to go, John offered out his arm and she too it without hesitation, uncle and niece going outside into the cool air.

Out there, they saw Martha and Jenny, along with Nurse Redfern standing in the street.

" Far too cold to be standing around in the dark, don't you think ladies? " he asked as he and Lillian approached them.

" There! " Nurse Redfern said, pointing into the sky, where a light was shooting across the sky and into, " look into the sky! "

" It's beautiful," said Jenny.

Lillian smiled - she thought it was quite mesmirising, and wanted to see more of it.

" There - meteorite," Uncle John said, " just rocks falling to the ground. "

" It's fallen in the woods," Lillian said thoughtfully.

" No, no, they always look closer," John said, smiling fondly at his niece, " even we're they're miles off. Now, we should be getting back to the school. " He looked at the other three women, " Ladies? "

" We're fine thanks," Martha said, still staring at the sky.

Nurse Redfern said that she'd go back with them, and the three of them started towards the school. Lillian walked behind John and Nure Redfern, because the pair of them were in conversation and Lillian couldn't help but feel as if she was intruding.

When they got to the school building, Lillian bade Nurse Redfern and her uncle John goodnight and disappeared into her room. She was all ready for bed when she started thinking about the meteorite. It was beautiful, and there was something interesting about things that came from far away ... she shook her head. Those silly dreams must be getting to her.

She thought about what uncle John had said - about it being a long way off. She didn't think it was very far off, even if he'd said it was miles away. She wondered if she could go and see it. It might be quite interesting.

That wasn't usually like her, but she thought she might as well go off and investigate. She couldn't say what had come over her, but she wanted to go and see it.

She pulled a long beige jacket on over her nightdress and headed for the entrance of the old stone building.

She was halfway down the path when she crossed Martha, who seemed to be coming back inside. Martha frowned at her and then shook her head, " You're not going out, ma'am? "

Lillian nodded, " I just ... I just wanted to go ... out. "

" I don't think that's wise," said Martha.

" I won't be out long," said Lillian, " and I certainly shan't get into any trouble. I'll be back very soon. "

" I think you should go back inside. It's not safe," said Martha shaking her head.

Lillian raised her eyebrows, " I appreciate the concern, Martha, but I really can take care of myself. "

Martha sighed. It was so hard being the only one of them who knew about the whole time-lords becoming human thing. She was having to keep an eye on the Doctor, and on Lily, and found it too difficult. It was hard enough trying to stop the Doctor falling in love when they'd eventually have to leave, but then trying to stop Lily running off where she could get into all sorts of trouble ... it was a nightmare.

Martha smiled, trying to convince the other woman, " Maybe you're not feeling well, ma'am. It's cold and dark, and you want to go into the forest alone? "

Lillian opened her mouth and then shook her head, " You're right. I don't ... I don't know what came over me. "

Martha was thankful that she'd managed to talk Lily around, and only hoped that she could continue to keep the pair of them out of trouble.

***

The next day, Lillian had finished teaching her last lesson of the day, in which was Tim Latimer, when Latimer lingered at the end of the class, looking a little out of sorts.

" Class of over, Latimer," she told him, standing up from behind her desk.

" Sorry ... I ... I'll just be going, ma'am," he said, with a nod.

" Are you quite alright? " she asked him, frowning, " you haven't been yourself the past few days ... you're very distracted. Anything you want to talk about? "

" No, ma'am," Latimer said, " it's nothing. "

Lillian nodded, and was about to move away when Tim spotted something on the edge of her desk. He moved forwards curiously, and Lillian followed his gaze to the desk.

" That pocketwatch," Tim said, his eyes slightly of of focus as he looked it at, " I think Mr Smith has something similar. "

Lillian looked down and was almost suprised by it, " Oh really? I've hardly ever noticed it. Can't recall where it came from ... can't have been anywhere particularly interesting then, can it? " She shook her head, not fazed by it and looked towards the door, " well, I'll be off, then. "

Tim shook his head, snapping himself out of it and went towards the door, " Of course. Sorry, ma'am. "

Lillian looked down at the watch of her desk, the little gold one with diamonds across the back. Odd how she'd never noticed it before. She picked it up and ran her thumb across it. It was on a long golden chain. She shrugged and slipped the chain around her neck, hiding the fob watch under her blouse.

Lillian looked after Latimer in confusion and then shook her head - he was a strange boy. She gathered a couple of books in her arms and went into the corridor, where she narrowly avoided bumping into Baines.

She looked up at him, and muttered an apology, while he also apologised for not looking where he was going.

He was about to move on, when he stopped and sniffed the air, looking down at Lillian.

Confused, Lillian frowned at him, " Something the matter? "

Baines regarded her in a strange way for a second before shaking his head, " I thought I could smell .... no. Maybe not. "

As he walked away, Lillian frowned after him. Boys were certainly a strange race. Especially teenage boys. Putting those thoughts out of her mind, she went off towards her uncle's study, where she thought she could find him. They sometimes sat and had a drink after work, whilst working on marking work.

Lillian hummed lightly to herself as she moved along. She got to the door of her uncle's study and didn't both to knock - she knew he'd be in there, and she didn't usually knock, because they were so close.

She swung the door open and stopped short at the sight in front of her. Uncle John and Nurse Redfern were pressed against each other, locked in a kiss, though at the noise, they quickly broke apart, and looked down, embarrassed.

" Lillian! " John snapped, " what have I told you about knocking? "

Lillian muttered her apologies as she rushed out of the room and back into the corridor, feeling embarrassed about it, though she stopped to giggle when the door was firmly shut. All she wanted was for her uncle to be happy, because that was what he deserves, so she was quite pleased for them. Joan was .... Joan was nice enough.

As she stood at the side of the door, considering this, Martha came up the corridor and reached for the door. Lillian tried to stop her, but Martha didn't hear, and went in without knocking.

Lillian heard John shouting at Martha, the same way he had at Lillian, to knock next time, and assumed Martha had walked in on exactly what she herself had. The strange thing, however, was how annoyed Martha looked when she backed out of the room - it was actually a mix of annoyance and upset. Lillian couldn't figure out why and she didn't get chance to question her, as Martha hurried off.

***

The village dance was that evening.

Lillian had been in two minds to go, and when she found out that Nurse Redfern was attending with uncle John, she wasn't sure about going - she thought she might end up on her own, with no-one to talk to.

Then she went for a walk in the village after work and ran into her friend, Benedict Foster. Benedict was a young man of 25 and worked in the village postshop which his mother ran, and since moving to the school, Lilian had met him several times.

They always stopped for a chat and Lillian thought he was a polite man, and they got on quite well. Lillian suspected that he was a homosexual, though she knew he'd never admit to it - that was completely illegal, and he could get into some trouble. She'd once dropped a hint, asking him if he was subtely, and he'd as good as told her that he was a homosexual.

He asked to the village dance that evening, and Lillian agreed. She hadn't been sure, but Benedict pointed out that they might as well go, because they were fairly good friends, and they had nothing better to do. And if they went together, they could people watch. It might be fun.

She'd been convinced and he said he'd meet her at the village hall.

This was how she ended up wearing a smart peach dress that evening, simple, but nicer than her usual teaching clothes. She was in her uncle's room, along with Joan, and they were just talking, while they got themselves ready.

John was tying up his tie, and then they'd be ready to go.

The door burst open all of a sudden, and a breathless Martha stood there. She ran straight up to John and stopped just in front of him. She looked between he and Lillian.

" They've found us," Martha said breathlessly.

" What? " asked Lillian, frowning in confusion.

" Martha, I've warned you," John said, looking down at her unhappily.

Martha continued to rant," They've found us, and I've seen them. They look like people, like us, normal. I'm sorry, but you've got to open the watch. Both of you need to open your watches. " She looked around and frowned," where is it? "

Lillian was completely bewildered as Martha started searching the mantlepiece, muttering about something.

" What are you talking about? " John demanded.

" You had a fob watch," Martha said, " right there, on the mantlepiece. Lily, you've got yours? Your fob watch, you have it? "

"I can't see what concern it is of yours," Lillian said, though she was wearing it on a long golden chain, tucked down the bodice of her dress, " and my name's Lillian. Or Miss Smith, to the staff. "

" We need those watches," Martha said frantically, " I can't explain it, but we need them! Doctor, Lily, we're hiding from aliens. They've got Jenny and they've ... they've possessed her or copied her or something. Tell me, Doctor, where is the watch? "

" Oh, I see," John said, looking at Lillian, who understood the problem at once - the Doctor and Lily were what she and her uncle were in the strange dreams. Martha must think the dreams were real, Lillian decided.

John picked up his journal of the dreams he'd had, and held it up, " This must be so confusing for you, Martha. This is what we call a story. "

Martha rolled her eyes and pointed at him, pointing at Lillian too, " This it not you, and it's not her. This is 1913. "

" Good," John nodded, " this _is _1913. "

" I'm sorry," Martha said, " I'm really sorry, but I've got to snap you out of this. "

Lillian was completely stunned when Martha pulled her hand back and swung it forwards, slapping John straight across the face sharply. Lillian gasped, mouth dropping slightly.

" Martha! " she and Joan cried in unison as John brought a hand to his cheek.

" Wake up! " Martha shouted, " you're coming to the TARDIS with me. Both of you. " She reached out and grabbed Lillian's arm and tried to grab John's too.

" How dare you? " John snapped, wrenching his arm free and pulling Lillian away, shoving her behind him in a protective way, " I'm not going anywhere with an insane servant! Martha, you are dismissed! Now get out! "

When Martha didn't move, he shoved her towards the door. Martha shouted her protests as she went, " Find the watch! You've got to open it. Lily, open the watch! " The door was slammed after her.

Lillian stared at the closed door in shock. To think she'd thought Martha was something of a friend ... this was ridiculous. Though, she was curious about the fob watch now.

" The cheek of it! " John raged, breathing deeply, " what about her? The nerve of it? "

" The funny thing is," Joan started thoughtfully, " you _did _have a fob watch there? Don't you remember. And now it's gone. "

Lillian frowned, " I don't understand why she's so fixated on the watch. What would happen if I opened it? " She reached into her dress and pulled the watch out, " Funny, I've hardly noticed it before, but I don't know where it came from. Can't remember ever opening it. I don't even think it does open. "

" Martha doesn't know what she's talking about," Joan said dismissively, " she's just a servant ... she's from somewhere different ... she doesn't understand things. I think she's got some insane infatuation with you, John. "

John shook his head, " It's nothing now. She's gone. And as for the watch, Lillian, don't worry about it. It's just a watch. "

Lillian was still curious about it, but put it out of her mind as they walked to the village. Outside the village hall, Lillian saw that Benedict was waiting for her outside, wearing a smart suit.

" Mr Foster," she nodded as she approached him.

" Miss Smith," he smiled, moving forwards and looking at the three of them, " Good evening Mr Smith ... Matron. "

" Good evening," Mr Smith nodded, looking at the younger man, " I trust you will take the very best care of my niece. "

" Of course," the young man said, smiling at Lillian in a completely platonic way - the pair of them didn't know each other very well, but got on quite well anyway, completely as friends.

" Shall we? " John asked, offering his arm to Joan, who took it as the pair of them went in, leaving Lillian and Benedict behind. Benedict offered out his arm and raised his eyebrows. Lillian said nothing, and slipped her arm through his.

Inside, the hall was busy and most of the village seemed to be there.

" Good turn out," Lillian nodded.

Benedict agreed with her, but grimaced when he saw old Miss Shaw wearing a tight fitting dress that made her look, " Oh dear," he said, " what a shame she didn't buy a new dress. "

Lillian gave him a quick look, " Honestly, Mr Foster. That's no way to speak about a lady. What has the poor woman ever done to you? " She then smiled slyly, " besides, if you continue to speak like that, people will cast aspersions on your preferences. "

Benedict shrugged, " Then I'll limit what I say. "

The announcer soon started off the dance, and Lillian and her friend had had two dances before they decided to get a drink. At the same time, John and Joan decided to sit out.

Lillian crossed the room and sat down with Joan while the men went off to get drinks.

" Having fun? " Joan asked Lillian.

Lillian shrugged, " Yeah, it's not bad, this. Yourself? "

The nurse smiled, " I hadn't expected to be here with John. Between you and me, he really is the most remarkable ... oh, but I'm sorry. He's your uncle, maybe I shouldn't .... anyway. It's nice to get away from this business with Martha. I really think she's gone mad! "

Before they had chance to discuss it, Martha showed up, sitting across from the two women.

" Martha," Lillian sighed, " don't you think you should stay away? "

" Please," Martha said, " you've got to try to understand. Nurse Redfern ... you're a sensible woman. Just listen to this. He ... he's like any other man you've met. Sometimes he says strange things. Sometimes when you look into this eyes, you know there's something else there. Hidden away in the dark. "

" I don't know what you mean," Joan said stubbornly.

" I think you do," Martha said, " I don't mean to be rude, but the awful thing is, it doesn't even matter what you think. But you're nice and you're lucky. And I'm sorry for what I'm about to do. "

" What are you talking about? " Lillian asked, " Martha, what do you want from us? "

" I need you to be Lily," Martha said, " and I need him to the the Doctor. It would be so much easier if you'd open the watch, but since you're so bloody stubborn, I'm going to have to prove it to you. " She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small silver device with a flashing green light at the end of it, " you know what this is. This belongs to you. Tell me what it is. "

Lillian took the silver thing from Martha and held it in her hands before shaking her head and handing it back, " I've no idea. "

There was a heavy sigh and John and Benedict stood there each holding two drinks.

" Oh really, Martha, this is getting out of hand," John sighed.

" This is the Martha I saw telling you about," Lillian muttered to Benedict.

" You," Martha said, handing something to John, like what she'd given Lillian, but longer, thinner and with a blue light on the end, " name this. "

Just like his niece, John had no idea what was going on, and when he took it from her, he couldn't for the life of him tell her what it was. Joan was watching carefully, and Lillian started to think that Joan was believing Martha.

" You're not John Smith," Martha said, " and she's not your niece. You're the Doctor, and she's your daughter, Lily. The man in your journal, all the stories you dream of, they're real. It's your life. "

Lillian opened her mouth and then said slowly, watching Martha carefully, " You're saying that me and him and actually some kind of alien time travellers? All I have to do is open the watch and I'll be the crazy lady from the adventures? "

" What have you got to lose? " Martha said, trying to plead with her, " if you open it, then you can sort things out and the can get rid of the things we're hiding from. If you open it and I'm lying, then you haven't lost anything. I need you to open it so you can help me, then we can find his pocket watch, he can open his, and everything will be how it should be. "

Lillian was beginning to consider it - as Martha said, she had nothing to lose. She could open it and find out it Martha was telling the truth. But if she opened it, she was going to be someone different.

She bit her lip a little - her life here was nice enough, but it was nothing special. She had no family, no lover, and her job was nothing special. Being someone else wouldn't mae a difference, as long as she still had John. And hadn't Martha said John was really her Dad ... no way.

As she was considering this, the door to the hall banged open, and several people poured in.

An older man, who Lillian recognised as Mr Clarke, came in first holding a gun. He knocked over a hat stand as he entered and people shrieked and ran away from him.

" Silence! All of you! " snapped Mr Clarke, as Baines, Jenny, a little girl and several scarecrows followed him in, shocking Lillian to the core.

" What's going on? " the dance hall announcer asked.

Mr Clarke turned around and shot at the announcer, dissolving him into nothing. Lillian wanted to scream, but tried not to, as she jumped backwards. John moved forwards and stood in front of Joan and Lillian, while Benedict tried to move forwards and protect the ladies too.

" Mr Smith, Miss Smith," Martha whispered urgently, " everything I just told you - forget it. Don't say anything. "

" Silence! " Baines shouted, though Lillian didn't think it was really Baines - maybe he was possessed or something, " we just have a few questions for Mr and Miss Smith. "

" No," the little girl said, a red balloon in her hand as she grinned, " we have better than that. They _are _the Doctor and his daughter. I heard them talking. "

" You took human forms," Baines said simply.

" Of course I'm human, I was born human! " John snapped, trying to make them go away, " as were you, Baines. You Jenny, and you, Mr Clarke! This is madness! "

" And a human brain," Baines contined, as if the other man hadn't spoken, " simple, thick and dull. "

" He's no good like this," Jenny sneered.

" We need a time lord," Mr Clarke said, " and there's two right there. If we take two of them, we can feed on them and live forever. One won't go around the family much, but both of them will be plenty. They're no good as humans. "

" Easily solved," Baines said, raising his own gun and pointing it at John as he moved forwards, the crowd gasping as John recoiled in horror. Lillian was terrified, and grabbed her uncle's arm. He was too busy trying to make sense of things to say anything to her, but he fixed an arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him, determined to protect her.

" Change back," Baines demanded.

" I don't know what you're talking about," John said quickly.

" Change back! " Baines repeated, louder.

" Leave us alone! " Lillian snapped, " we don't know what you want with us! "

Jenny moved closer to them and grabbed Martha, holding the gun to her head, while Martha screamed protests, " There! " Jenny shouted, " she's you friend, isn't she? Doesn't this scare you enough to change back? "

" I don't know what you mean," the Doctor said, shaking his head and pulling Lily closer.

" Wait a minute," said Jenny, " the maid told me about Smith and the matron ... get the matron. If that doesn't work, we take this handsome young man too. "

Mr Clarke grabbed Joan and held a gun to her, in the same way Jenny held Martha hostage. Benedict was left alone for now, but Lillian knew these strange people would take everything to get what they wanted.

" Have you both enjoyed being human? " Baines asked, teasing, " has it taught you new and wonderful things? Are you both richer, better, wiser? Then answer this! Which shall we kill? Maid or matron? A friend to you both, or the Doctor's lover. Your choice! "

Lillian knew it would be her uncle who made the decision, and she could honestly say she had no idea what he was going to do.


	12. Family of Blood

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

Author's Note: Utopia after this chapter, which is why I'm trying to give Lily more independence from her dad in this chapter and the few chapters before. Not sure if I'll finish after Last of the Time Lords or write another sequel. Any ideas?  


Chapter Twelve

Lillian stood in the middle of the room, with her uncle's arm around her waist as he held her protectively. The other people in the room had backed off, and Jenny had hold of Martha while Mr Clarke had hold of Joan.

Now they had to choose what to do next. These insane people were insisting that they chose one to die and one to live, but this was impossible. Lillian racked her brains - they wanted she and uncle John to change. Martha had said about the watch ... would they be happy and go away if she just opened her watch and became this crazy traveller woman?

" Should I open the watch? " whispered Lillian, so only her uncle could hear.

"Absolutely not," said John, in a low voice, without looking at her, " I forbid you to open that thing, it's not safe. "

Lillian had had little reason to doubt her uncle throughout her life, so she decided not to open it. Though she was still curious and wanted to know what would happen. At present, she didn't see how they were going to get out of this.

" Make your decision! " Jenny snarled.

" What do we do? " Lillian whispered.

" I don't know," John replied, frantically.

There was a whispering from the other side of the room, from where Latimer was standing. Baines turned on Latimer and the others turned to look at the young boy too. Using the distraction, Martha turned the tables on Jenny and swung her around, holding the gun to her instead.

" One more move and I shoot," Martha said, while Lillian stared and wondered what Martha thought she was doing - what the hell was she going to do next, and where had she learnt how to handle a gun?

" Oh, the maid if full of fire," scoffed Baines, or whatever was possessing Baines.

" And you can shut up! " Martha said, raising the gun to the ceiling and firing.

" Careful, Son of Mine," Mr Clarke warned Baines, " this is all for you - so that you can live forever. "

Lillian frowned - Mr Clarke wasn't Baines' father. Baines just sneered at Martha, " I'll shoot you down! "

" Try it," Martha shrugged, making Lillian think she was very brave, " we'll die together. "

" You'd really pull the trigger, would you? " asked Baines in disbelief, " you look too scared. "

Martha held the gun tighter to Jenny's head, " Scared and holding a gun. Yeah, good combination. Do you want to risk it? "

Baines hesitated and then lowered his gun. Lillian felt completely out of her depth and had no idea what the hell to do. She looked at her uncle, and he looked the same - out of depth completely. Lillian breathed a sigh of relief when the gun was lowered.

" Doctor, get everyone out," Martha said, " over there - get everyone out! "

" I think she means you," Lillian whispered, poking her uncle's arm.

" Yes, Mr Smith, you! " Martha said.

" Do what she says," Joan said, moving forwards as Mr Clarke lowered his own gun and came to stand near John and Lillian, " everybody out now! " she said, turning to the room and trying to usher everyone out, " They're mad, that's all we need to know. Outside, all of you! "

The villagers rushed to the door as fast as they could, and John dropped his arm from his niece's waist and turned to look at her. " Are you alright? " he asked her and without waiting for an answer, he nodded, " I've got you, everything's going to be fine. "

Lillian nodded and looked around the room, stopping when she saw Latimer standing there, " Move it, Latimer," she said, " get back to the school. "

" And you lot," said Martha, " Go. Just shift. "

Lillian was still suprised by Martha's demeanor and was starting to wonder if anything was how she thought it was. John asked what Martha was doing - what about her?

" Mr Smith, I think you should escort the ladies to safety," Martha said.

John hesitated for a moment, and Lillian looked at him for guidance. He looked towards the door and then at Martha, and at Lillian and Joan, " Come on," he said, " we need to get outside. We need to get away. "

They rushed outside, though Lillian couldn't help but wonder if they were doing the right thing - if they should make Martha come with them.

" Latimer," John said when they were outside, touching the boy's shoulder, " get back to the school - tell the headmaster ... "

Latimer cut him off, yanking himself away, " Don't touch me - you an' her are as bad as them! "

Then he was gone, leaving Lillian to stare after him. She wondered what the hell was going on, and then realised they were still in the middle of the village. They needed to get away, didn't they?

Martha hurried out of the village hall and stopped short when she saw Lillian, John and Nurse Redfern standing in the street, watching the chaos. Martha groaned when she saw them, " Don't just stand there - move! God, you're rubbish as a human. Come on! "

Martha started running away and Lillian was the first to follow. She was finding it easier to trust Martha, even if she had no idea what the hell was going on, than John was. John had Joan and he didn't want a new life, but Lillian would have nothing to lose if she became this other person. Also, she'd seen Martha as a sort of friend, and didn't see that Martha would make this up. John was kind to her, but saw her as a servant.

John grabbed Nurse Redfern's hand followed along after Lillian and Martha. They ran straight from the village back to the school without stopping, and were completely breathless as they did so. When they got back, they were out of breath after running so quickly and frantically. Lillian couldn't ever recall running like that ... though she had to admit that running was quite fun.

They got into the front hall, and immediately John slammed the door behind them and started ringing a bell.

" What are you doing? " demanded Martha.

" Maybe one man can't fight them," replied John, " but this school teaches us to stand together. Take arms! Take arms! "

" You can't do that! " Martha protested.

" You want me to fight, don't you? " John asked her, before shouting out across the school, " Take arms! Take arms! "

Lillian watched in horror as the boys started hurrying down the stairs - they shouldn't have to fight - that was awful. It wasn't right to make them fight. The boys poured down the stairs and Hutchinson stopped to look at John.

" I say, sir, what's the matter? " he asked, raising his eyebrows.

" Enemy at the doors," John said, " Enemy at the doors, Hutchinson. Take arms! "

As the boys took arms, Lillian watched them in despair, thinking of how there must be an alternative to fighting. The boys had done nothing wrong. Martha looked at Lillian carefully, and then said, " Lily ... Lillian ... please, can I have a word? "

Lillian looked at her for a moment, and then nodded wordlessly. Martha looked a little satisfied and then the two women walked away from the chaos of the boys getting their weapons ready and rounded a corner was it was a little more quiet - or as quiet as it was going to get. Martha sighed and dragged them into an empty classroom, where they couldn't be disturbed - much better.

" You've got to understand me," said Martha, " I really need you to open the watch. I need you to be Lily again. It's hard to explain everything, but you've got to trust me. "

" I open the watch, become someone else, and then what do I do? " Lillian asked, confused.

Martha shook her head, out of her depth, " I don't know exactly, but you'll know. Lily would have some ideas, I know it. And maybe once you change back, you can convince John ... the Doctor ... to change back. You've got to do it. "

Lillian pulled the fobwatch out and looked down at it, " I don't know," she said quietly.

" Come on," Martha said," I don't mean to be rude, but you don't have much going for you hear. Lily however, she's got a real good life. She's got her dad, who she adores, she's got friends, and most of all, there's this guy? "

Lillian raised her eyebrows, " When I become Lily, I'm going to have a .... a sweetheart? "

Martha shrugged, trying to get her point across, " It's difficult to explain. I wasn't around when it happened, but I know that there was this man you really loved. He was everything to you and you lost him. I know that sounds rubbish, you he's still alive and out there somewhere, and you want to find him. Lily loved him more than anything and she's determined to find him. Imagine what kind of life you could have when you're Lily again, and you find this man. "

Lillian felt sorely tempted - she'd never had a sweetheart, and if she loved this man as much as Martha said she did. " I don't know," she sighed

Martha looked at Lillian and tried to plead with her, " Lily ... Lillian, whatever ... look, have I ever given you reason not to trust me before? "

Lillian didn't even need to think about it, " No. "

" Then trust me on this," Martha said.

As Lillian Smith looked at the maid, she knew she should trust her. She knew that Martha wouldn't lie to her, and she was starting to feel as though all this crazy stuff was true. And she had nothing to lose if she opened it.

She turned the watch over in her hand and looked at it carefully. She was curious about it, and she decided to just go for it. She pressed a finger to the edge of the watch and opened it slowly, waiting to see what would happen.

Martha stared in shock and anticipation as a shroud of golden light surrounded Lillian/Lily, whatever.

Lillian Smith gasped loudly as her whole body hurt, and she grabbed the edge of the desk and bit her lip, determined to keep quiet. She clung to the edge of the desk and groaned, closing her eyes tightly, gasping for breath.

She felt a wind rush around her, and when it was done, she opened her eyes slowly, looking around the room as if she hadn't seen it before.

" L-Lily? " Martha asked carefully.

Lily's eyes suddenly fixed on Martha and a manic grin that was similar to the Doctor's spread across her face, " Martha! Good to see you again!" She then looked down at her body, "what the hell am I wearing? Hmmm, not nice. " Bringing a hand to her hair, she shook her head and puled the clip out, allowing the hair to tumble around her shoulders, " Better ... now, yeah, still two legs, two arms ... yeah, I think I'm good. Where were we? " She took a deep breath and then nodded, " Oh, that's right, the Family are gonna come and try to kill me now they now I'm Time Lord again. And Dad won't change back because he doesn't understand, and he's in love with the human. Brilliant - let's go! "

She dashed for the door and Martha followed her.

Martha grinned, as they entered the corridor, " Good to have you back," she said.

Lily nodded, " Good to be back. Now, we don't have much time. They can sense me, and they'll be able to find me now. We need to find Dad's watch and make him go back. We need him. "

They hurried back to where the boys were, and as they did so, Martha asked, " Are you going to tell him you've opened it? "

Lily shook her head, " No. No, no. Well, yes. But not yet. We'll find his fob watch and then I'll convince him that opening it is the best thing to do. "

" Can't you open it for him? " Martha asked.

Lily shook her head, " He has to open it. We gotta find it first, anyway, and we've little time. "

They stopped when they saw the boys loading machine guns and other weapons, all frantically chatting away while the Doctor/John Smith, whatever, oversaw everything.

" You can't do this, Mr Smith! " Martha said, as they approached him, " they're just boys - you can't ask them to fight! "

John ignored them and shouted at the boys to get a move on.

" They don't stand a chance! " Martha snapped.

"They can't fight," Lily agreed.

" Not you too, Lillian," John said, shaking his head, while Lily tried not to show the difference in her, " this is all we can do. The boys are trained to defend the King and all his properties. "

" What in thunder's name is this? " roared the Headmaster as he walked in on the situation, " before I devise an excellent and endless series of punishments for each and every one of you, could someone explain simply and immediately, exactly what is going on? "

" Headmaster," John said, " I must report that the school is under attack. "

" Really? Is that so? " the Headmaster asked, not believing it.

" I promise you, sir," said John desperately, " I was in the village with my niece and Matron. It's Baines sir, Jeremy Baines and Mr Clarke from Oakham farm. They've gone mad, sir. They've got guns. They've already murdered people in the village. I saw it happen. "

" I'm afraid it's true, sir," Joan nodded.

" Murder on our own soil? " the Headmaster demanded.

" I saw it, yes," Joan confirmed.

" What makes you think the danger is coming here? " asked the Headmaster.

" It is," Lily said, taking control, " they're going to come here. They said they were. They've got guns and they mean business - they'll be here. "

The Headmaster just nodded, " Very well. You boys! You remain on guard. " He looked around, " Mr Snell - you telephone the police. Mr Phillips - with me, we investigate! "

" You can't! " Martha said, standing in front of him.

" It's not safe! " Lily added, " sir, there are monsters out there, and right now your safest bet is to stay inside. "

The Headmaster shook his head at her and turned to John, " Mr Smith, it seems your favourite servant is giving me advice, as is your niece. You will control them. "

As the Headmaster walked away, Lily frowned and thought about what an idiot he was. All this sexism stuff - you will control her. That was rubbish. John turned to look at his niece, " You," he said, " are going to stay out of trouble. These insane people are after us and I don't know why, so I need you to be safe. "

" Don't worry about me," Lily said, shaking her head, " I'll go ... to your study. I'll go there - that'll be safe, right? "

John seemed satisfied and nodded, turning back to the boys, while Lily looked around at Martha.

" Come on," she muttered, " we need to find the watch. "

They rushed out of the place, Joan following, and ran down the corridor to John's study.

" We need that watch," Lily said as they ransacked the office, " the Family will be able to sense me know and they'll find me soon. I need him back, because he always knows what to do. We need to find that watch. "

Joan stopped and looked at Lily, " Lillian? " she asked, " you ... you've changed, haven't you? You've opened your watch? "

Lily nodded as she continued to look for the watch, " Look, I'm really sorry you got mixed up in this. We just needed somewhere to hide, and then he had to go and fall in love. I know this isn't fair on you, but we need that watch. "

" What's so special about a watch? " Joan demanded, not understanding, " you've opened your watch and become someone else? How is that possible? "

Lily ran a hand through her hair as she emptied the contents of a desk drawer, " I know it sounds mad, but the Doctor and I became human. We sort of hid the alien part of ourselves inside a watch, but it's not really a watch - just looks like a watch. "

" Alien," Joan repeated, " alien? I take it that means ... "

" From another world," Martha supplied, shaking her head as she couldn't find the watch either, 2 Lily here, and the man you call John Smith - they're from another world. "

" You're a different species," said Joan, frowning.

" Yeah," agreed Lily, " basically, that's it. I'm not Lillian anymore. I've become who I really am - Lillian Smith, just like John Smith, isn't the real person. This is who I really am. "

Joan looked at Martha, " what about you? Where to you fit into this? "

" Just a friend," said Martha, " don't worry, you haven't got a rival as much as I might," she stopped and took a deep breath, " just a friend. "

" You're human, I take it? " asked Joan.

Martha nodded as Lily continued to search the office, " Human, don't worry, and more than that. I just don't follow him around. I'm training to be a doctor. Not an alien doctor - a proper doctor- doctor of medicine. "

" Nonsense," Joan scoffed, " women might train to be doctors, but hardly a skivvy and one of your colour. "

" Oh you think? " Martha asked with a scoff, while Lily focused on searching for the watch. She heard Martha point to the bones in her hand and name each one of them.

" You read that in a book," Joan said.

Lily groaned and turned to Joan, " Honestly, Nurse Redfern. Can't you understand this? I know it's difficult, but you've got to try. Why would we be making it up? "

" I must go," Joan said, ignoring her and heading for the door.

" If we can find that watch, we can stop them," Lily said, trying to stop her, " they're going to start a war unless we stop them! "

Joan yanked the door open, " Those boys are going to fight. I might not be a doctor, but I'm still their nurse. They need me. "

As Joan walked away and left them to it, Lily sighed and turned to Martha, " You've had your hands full looking after us two then," she said, " and he's really gone and fallen for her. "

Martha nodded, " All the humans, and ... " she stopped short and shook her head.

Lily smiled sympathetically, " And he fell in love with one who wasn't you," Lily nodded, " I'm sorry, Martha. " She sighed, " oh god. Even if we find it, he might not open it. He might want a human life with Joan - he could have kids and a family. He might not want me and our life. He could chose to stay here. Not open his watch. "

" It will be fine," said Martha, shaking her head.

Lily sighed, " It might not. If he doesn't open this watch, then we're stuck. I can't do this on my own, and the Family will take me, and feed on me. "

Martha didn't know what to do, and just said, " Keep searching. "

They spent five minutes searching before Lily shook her head, " It's not here! The bloody thing's lost! I knew I should have had both for safekeeping! " She screamed in annoyance, and the pair of them were off running again.

They ran to the front of the building to see what was going on. They stopped in the doorway, where Joan was standing. What was outside shocked and scared Lily. The boys were hiding behind hay bales, shooting at scarecrows.

They stopped when they realised they were just scarecrows and then the little girl with the red balloon was standing there. As the Headmaster went outside, Lily gasped and ran outside too, to try and stop him.

The Headmaster was coaxing the little girl to come into the school.

" Headmaster! " Lily shouted, " don't go near her! "

" Be quiet silly girl," said the Headmaster, not listening to her.

" She's part of it! " Lily shouted, looking for Martha and Joan to back her up, " tell him - she's part of it - she's dangerous! "

" I don't think .. I know ... I think you should stay away from her," Joan warned the headmaster.

Lily nodded and looked at her dad. She narrowly avoided shouting out 'dad' and she bit her lip and said, " Uncle John. Tell him. "

John reached out and grabbed Lily's arm, pulling her backwards from the danger, though it made no difference - they were screwed anyway, " She was with Baines in the village," the Doctor confirmed.

" Mr Smith," said the headmaster, " I've seen many strange sights this night, but there is no cause on God's earth that would allow me to see a child in the field of battle, sir. " To the little girl, he added, " come on, come with me. Take my hand. "

Then before they knew what was happening, the girl pulled out a gun and shot the headmaster dead. The little girl challenged the boys to shoot her and Lily looked up at John.

" You can't," she told him, " if they fight, they could die - you can't make them fight. "

John nodded, " Put down your guns! " he roared, turning to the boys," I'll not see this happen anymore. You will retreat in an orderly fashion back through the school. Hutchinson, lead the way. "

Hutchinson started to protest, and John shook his head, " Lead the way! " he repeated.

Baines was across the field and he sniffed loudly, eyes locking on Lily. Lily tried to remain confident, but she knew she was screwed - they'd found her. Now she was in trouble.

" Run! " Martha shouted, " don't just stand there. "

Lily was quite proud of everything that Martha had worked to do, and how well she was doing at taking control. It proved that Martha really was a worthy companion, and Lily was now glad that they'd met Martha.

" Where to? " Lily asked as they started to run away.

" How about the TARDIS? " asked Martha.

Lily nodded, " Maybe he'll recognise it. It's worth a shot. "

They ran through the forest, and Lily hoped that everything was going to be alright, though she knew it probably wouldn't be. They needed to be alright, but it wasn't going to happen, unless they found his fobwatch and opened it.

" Where the hell are we going? " John demanded as they ran through the forest, towards where the TARDIS had been left.

Lily bit her lip when she heard the Family jeering and calling out. She was so worried that they'd find her, and she couldn't figure out why they hadn't already got to her. Maybe, she thought, maybe they were waiting until the Doctor was time lord too, so they could take them both at once.

" Come home! " Mr Clarke called at they saw him through the trees. He was standing in front of the TARDIS and Lily wanted to scream at him to get away, " come and claim your prize, Doctor. "

" Come to the family! " Baines shouted.

" Time to come out!" Jenny sneered.

" Don't you recognise it? " Martha asked the human doctor, pointing towards TARDIS.

" I've never seen it before," John claimed.

" You know it," Lily said, " can't you remember its name? For me - come on, tell me that it is. "

John frowned at her, " What's come over you? Have you ... "

Lily nodded, " I opened the watch. I had to face it, and open the watch, and when we find yours, you need to too. Everything depends on you, dad. "

" I'm not your dad," John said, " this can't be happening. "

" It is," Lily said softly.

" I'm sorry John," Joan said, " but you wrote about it. The little blue box. You dreamt of it. "

John's voice broke as he shook his head, " But I'm John Smith. That's all I want to be. John Smith, with his life, and his job, his niece, his love. Why can't I be John Smith? Isn't he a good man? "

" Yes, yes he is," Joan nodded.

" But we need the Doctor," Martha said.

" So what am I? " John asked, " I'm just a story, am I? "

Lily watched in despair as he ran off. Joan followed right after him and the other two followed them. Lily's mind was filled with what was going to happen next, and what could happen if he changed back ... or what could happen if he didn't.

They were rushing down a country road, and Joan was the one who said she knew where to go. They appeared at a dark house and stopped there, looking at it. The house was all in darkness and no-one was around.

" Here we are," Joan said.

" Who lives here? " asked Martha, looking up at the place.

" If I'm right, no-one," replied Joan. They went into the house and found it empty, tea laid out on the table, though there was no-one around, " hello? Anyone home? " Joan called.

" Looks like we're safe," said Lily, sitting down on one of the chairs and putting her feet up on the table cheerily, while Joan looked at her in disgust, " whose house is this, anyway? "

" The Cartwrights," Joan said, " the little girl at the school, she's Lucy Cartwright. Or she's taken Lucy Cartwright's form. If she came home this afternoon and if her parents tried to stop their little girl, then they were vanished. " She touched the teapot, " stone cold. How easily I can accept these ideas. "

" I must go to them, before anyone else dies," said John, looking like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders.

" You can't," Joan said," Martha, Lillian, there must be something we can do. "

" It's Lily," Lily corrected, " and no, we can't. Not without the watch. "

Martha shook her head, " No, there's nothing we can do. "

John groaned as he looked at Martha, " You're this Doctor's companion! Can't you help? What exactly do you do for him? He's got Lillian, Lily, whatever, because she's apparently his daughter, but why does need you? "

" Because he's lonely," Martha said, " him, and her, they're both lonely. "

" And that's what you want me to become? " John asked incredulously.

There was a knock at the door and Joan gasped, " Is that them? "

Lily shook her head, " I don't think scarecrows knock. I reckon we're alright. " She crossed the room and when she opened the door, was suprised to see Latimer standing there. She let him in, ushering the boy in and closing the door behind him.

" I brought you this," said Tim, holding out the watch.

Lily stared at it, before grabbing it, " You had it? You had it? Oh thank god we've got it. " She turned around and held it out to her human dad, " hold it. "

" I won't," John said.

" Just hold it," Lily begged.

" It told me to find you," Tim said," the watch wanted to be held. "

Lily turned back to Tim, " All this time ... why didn't you return it to us?"

Tim looked her in the eye, " Because the watch was waiting ... it told me. And because of the Doctor - I was scared. The watch has shown me about you and him, ma'am. Lily. He's like fire and ice. He's like night and storm in the heat of the sun. "

" Stop it! " John snapped.

" He's ancient and forever," Tim continued," He burns at the centre and can see the universe. "

" Stop! " John protested.

" And he's wonderful," said Tim simply.

" Yes," Lily nodded, " yes he is. Please, he is. And I need him. Dad, I need you back. "

When no-one said anything, Joan reached into her pocket and pulled out the journal, " I've got this," she said, " and maybe they're not just stories. Perhaps there's something in here. "

They were all shocked by a loud explosion outside. Lily rushed to the window, as did the others, and they saw meteorites falling across the village.

" They're destroying it! " Joan moaned.

" The watch," whispered John, suddenly turning around and reaching for it.

" Come closer," whispered the watch.

" Can you hear it? " Tim coaxed, as John picked up the watch and held it to his ear. He looked at it and then said, " I think it's waiting to wake up. "

" Why did it speak to me? " asked Tim, frowning at the watch.

Lily was amazed when her dad suddenly replied in his normal voice, " Oh, low-level telepathic field. You were born with it. Just an extra synaptic engram causing - " he stopped and inhaled deeply and then the middle class English accent was back, " is that how he talks? " 

" Techno-babble! " Lily cried gleefully, " I love techno-babble! That's brilliant! "

" Is he as mad as you? " John asked her, staring.

" Oh, much much more," Lily told him, " and he's a genius! "

" That's him! " Martha said, " all you have to do is open it and he's back! "

John suddenly rounded on her, " You knew this all along and yet you watched while Nurse Redfern and I - "

" I didn't know how to stop you! " said Martha, moving forwards, " he told me I had to watch over him and Lily. He gave me a list of things to watch out for, but that wasn't included. "

" Falling in love? " John asked, " that didn't even occur to him? "

" No," Martha said.

Lily scoffed, " Typical of him. He's so oblivious to stuff like that. "

John frowned, " Then what kind of a man is this? And now you expect me to die? "

" It was always going to be the end though! " Martha cried out, as Lily watching, quite proud of her, " The Doctor said the Family's got a limited lifespan. That's why they need to consume a Time Lord. Otherwise, three months and they die. Like mayflies, he said. "

" And your job was to execute me," John said with a frown.

Martha sighed, " People are dying out there! They need him, and I need him! Cause you've got no idea of what he's like. I've only just met him - it wasn't even that long ago. But he is everything ... he's just everything to me, and he doesn't even look at me, but I don't care ... cause I love him to bits. And I hope to god he won't remember me saying this. "

Lily tried not to smirk - she knew that her dad would remember all of his human life when he became a time lord again, just like she could remember all of hers.

They could heard explosions outside and Tim sighed, " It's getting closer. "

John's eyes suddenly lit up," I should have thought of this before. I can give them this - just give them the watch. They can leave, and I can stay as I am. "

" You can't," Lily protested.

" If they want they Doctor, then they can take him," John said.

Lily shook her head, " What about me? They want me too, and I don't know how to stop them. The Doctor would, but I don't. Without him to save me, they're going to take me too. They're going to take me and they'll kill me. "

She sighed and moved closer to her dad, eyes filling with tears. She brought one hand to his face and laid it on his cheek, " Look at me! Look at me properly. I'm telling you that I need you to open the watch and be the Doctor. The Doctor ... he's my dad, and I need him, because he's the only family I have, and no matter what else happens, I need him. Please ... I'm just a girl who wants her dad. If you don't open that, they're gonna take over the world. They're gonna kill everything, including me."

John looked close to tears and said, " I've got to become this man to give up what I have here. But what about ... Nurse Redfern. I could stay here and have a human life that this mad Doctor will never have. I can have a family. "

" You've got a family! " Lily said, exasperated, " you've got me, and that's always been enough for you! "

" I don't know," he said, laying his hand on hers and moving the hand away from her face. He said nothing, though he was clearly affected by what both Martha and Lily said to him.

" Then it all end in destruction," said Joan, tapping the journal, " I never read to the end, but those creatures would live forever to breed and conquer. War across the stars ... for every child. " Joan looked around the room and then said, " Martha, Lily, Timothy - would you leave us along for a minute? "

Tim left first, going outside, then Martha followed. As the human doctor started to sob, Lily gave him one last glance, and then left too.

She sat with the others, on a little bench outside. They sat in silence, listening to the bombs and Lily felt completely useless, knowing there was nothing she could do. Lily sighed and folded her arms over her chest, not knowing what to do. She and Martha sat on either side of Tim.

She looked up when a hand touched her shoulder. Martha, had her arm around Tim's shoulder, and her had rested on Lily's shoulder, as she gave her a smile. Lily returned the smile and then brought a hand up to meet Martha's, as they sat there, trying to comfort each other and convince each other that everything would be alright.

When John emerged from the house 5 minutes later, Lily stood up, " Dad? " she demanded.

He looked at her and shook his head, " Not yet. I'm going to these people, and I'm going to open the watch and .... and John Smith dies. "

" I'm coming with you," Lily said, " it's me they want too. "

" No," John said firmly, " I will deal with these. If this Doctor is as great as you tell me, then I will deal with it. "

" But - "

John laid his hands on her shoulders and looked at her, " I said no. Lillian, I will not allow my niece to be in trouble. You will stay out of danger. Whether you're my niece or my daughter or whatever, I don't want anything to happen to you. "

Lily bit her lip before nodding in agreement, " Alright," she said, " fine, have it your way. I'll meet you at home. "

" Home? " John asked.

Lily grinned, " Our little blue box. See you soon. "

John nodded and then walked away swiftly. Lily watched him go and then sighed.

" I'm going back to the TARDIS," she said.

" What about Joan? " asked Martha.

" She can do what she wants," replied Lily, " that's up to her, but we're going back to the TARDIS. "

After asking Joan what she wanted to do, Joan was insistent on staying in the house to wait for John to return, though Lily knew when he returned, he'd return as the Doctor.

Lily bade Joan goodbye, but Joan didn't want to know, and said goodbye to them. Tim, Martha and Lily decided to go into the village until the explosions in the forest stopped - it was too dangerous to go back to the TARDIS with the Family still out there.

In the village, everyone was hiding out together in each others houses and in the shops.

They were walking through the deserted village, looking for somewhere to go, when the post office door was yanked open, " Lillian! What are you doing out there, it's hardly safe! "

Lily grinned when she saw Benedict standing in the doorway, and hurried into the post office with him.

" I see you've made it up with the maid," he said, looking at Martha.

Lily nodded, sitting down next to the secretly gay man, " Yeah, about that ... turns out that Martha was telling the truth about all the crazy stuff I told you. I opened the watch and now I'm .... now I'm Lily. Not Lillian Smith, just Lily. "

Benedict regarded her for a moment before saying, " So all those dreams your uncle had about the Doctor - a time travelling alien. They're true? "

Lily nodded, " Yep. I know it sounds impossible, but I like impossible. Basically, I'm a 200 year old year old time travelling alien from a whole other world. Oh, and he's not my uncle, he's my dad. Oh, and if he doesn't change back and sort this whole mess out, we're screwed. But apart from all of that, everything's good. "

" Woah," Benedict said, shaking his head, " you had me at time travelling. So, don't suppose you could tell my about my future? "

" I don't know," shrugged Lily, " and even if I did, I wouldn't tell you. Spoilers are no fun. Though as long as you keep it quiet, I'll tell you that by the late 60s - can't recall the exact year - homosexuality is legal. "

Benedict gasped, " Lillian! I'm not ... "

Lily rolled her eyes, " Please, I'm not bothered. And these two aren't either. "

Benedict blushed, and then said, " Besides, by 1968, I'll be 70 years old. I'll be past it. If not already dead. "

Lily rolled her eyes and the pair of them fell into silence. The four sat in silence in the house, waiting to see what would happen next, and when the explosions outside had stopped, they started to think it might be safe.

Lily made the first move, getting up and going to the window. She looked out there and saw nothing more falling from the sky. She paused before swinging open the door. Other people were out there too, and everyone seemed to accept that this was over.

" I think we're safe," said Lily, grinning, " I think he's done it! " She laughed loudly and then hugged Martha, " I knew he'd pull through for us! He's done it! We can go home! "

Benedict raised his eyebrows at her, " So you'll go off and travel through space again? "

Lily nodded, " Yeah. Isn't it great? Wouldn't you fancy it? "

Benedict laughed but shook his head, " It's been good to meet you, Miss, but it's no life for me. I like the quiet life. "

Lily nodded again, " Of course you do. And someone's got to keep an eye on the village and the post office at any rate. " She clapped her hands together and looked at Martha, " Let's go then. We'll wait for him at the TARDIS. I think ... I think he'll have gone to see Joan. It must be so hard for him. "

Martha nodded and hugged Tim, before going for the door.

" In a few years, I'll think this was all a dream," Benedict said, shaking his head.

" Nonsense, Mr Foster," said Lily, looking around the room and smiling when she saw a piece of paper. She took up a quill, dipped it in some in and leant over the paper, scribbling away.

When she straightened up, Benedict took the paper from her and read the little note she'd left to himself: Benedict, keep hold of this so you know it wasn't all a dream. Nice meeting you. Love, Lily. (Lillian Smith) He looked at her and she took the note from him, folding it in two, opening the watch, and putting it inside there, closing the watch and handing it back to him.

" It's just a watch now," she said, " useless. You might as well have it. "

Benedict nodded, " Goodbye, Lily. "

Lily smiled as he took her hand and kissed the back of it. " Goodbye Mr Foster," she said, turning for the door. She looked over her shoulder and gave him a smile before leaving, Martha following her.

The two women were standing outside the TARDIS, awaiting the Doctor. Lily folded her arms and leant against the blue box casually, while Martha stood next to her. They were chatting idly when a familiar figure approached them.

Lily grinned at him, and he grinned back. He stood in front of her, just looking at her for a moment, and then she laughed and pushed herself off the side of the TARDIS and outstretched her arms.

He hugged her tightly, almost lifting her off her feet, and she laughed.

" God, it's good to have you back," Lily said with relief.

The Doctor nodded, " Yeah. "

" How is ... how's Joan, anyway? " Martha asked.

Suddenly, the Doctor's face changed and he looked sad, before hastily rearranging his features and trying to smile again, " Time we moved on," he said, changing the subject.

Martha smiled kindly, " If you want, I could - "

" Time we moved on," repeated the Doctor, firmly

Martha cleared her throat and Lily couldn't help but be amused by what she said next, " I meant to say, back there, yesterday, I would have said anything to get you to change. "

Lily knew Martha was talking about how Martha had said she loved him. She also knew that the Doctor was going to ignore it, because it was too embarrassing for them both otherwise. She knew he was now more aware of Martha's love for him, but he didn't want to acknowledge it.

" Oh yeah," the Doctor nodded, speaking quickly to try and cover it up, " yeah, course you would. "

" I mean, I wasn't really ... "

" No, of course not," the Doctor said, nodding a little too much.

" Good," Martha said.

" Fine," the Doctor agreed.

" So here we are then," Martha added.

" Yeah. There we are, yes," nodded the Doctor, while Lily stopped herself from smirking at the pair of them.

There was a pause, before the Doctor grinned at Martha, best friends again, " I meant to say - thanks for looking after me and Lils. We couldn't have done it without you. "

While the pair of them were sharing a huge hug, Lily smiled when she saw Latimer approaching them.

" Hello Tim," she nodded.

" Lily," he nodded, " hello Doctor, Martha. "

" Tim! " the Doctor cried, turning around.

" I just wanted to say goodbye," Tim said, " and thank you, because I've seen the future, and now I know what's got to be done. It's coming, isn't it? The biggest war of all. "

" You don't have to fight," said Martha.

" I think we do," Tim said bravely.

" You could get hurt," Martha pointed out.

" Well, so could you, travelling with him," said Tim with a small smile, " but it's not going to stop you, is it? "

Lily smiled, " You're a smart boy, Tim. You'll know what to do when the war comes. You'll be fine. "

Tim nodded, keeping his chin up and then said, " Just so you know, you were one of the best teachers I ever had. Everyone thought so ... I heard Baines and Hutchinson talking about how they've both get a thing for you. "

Lily blushed, " Really? Baines and Hutchinson? What a shame one of them was consumed by the family. And they were both arrogant little toerags before that anyway. "

The Doctor rolled his eyes and then stepped forwards, holding up the fobwatch, " I'd be honoured if you took this, you know. "

" I don't hear anything," Latimer said, holding it to his ear.

" No," the Doctor said, " you won't. It's just a watch now, but keep it with you. For good luck. "

The boy took the watch from the man with a smile before Martha hugged him and then they went into the TARDIS.

" You'll like this bit," the Doctor said, as they walked into their ship and closed the door behind them, leaving Tim to watch them fade away.

" Well, that was certainly ... eventful," said Lily as they got into the orbit, " I can't believe we were human ... I'm never doing that again. "

The Doctor laughed, though Lily could see that he was pained by whatever he and Joan had said during their goodbyes.

She reached out and touched his arm lightly, " You alright? " she asked him.

He shrugged, " I'm always alright, me. "

" Where to next then? " Lily asked, changing the subject.

The Doctor sighed, " I don't know. I think I need a break. Just a couple of hours. " He looked at the pair of them, " Would you mind if we stayed here for a while? "

Neither of them had an argument. Lily just nodded and Martha grinned, " I was getting sick of you, anyway. I could do with a couple of hours away from you. "

The Doctor laughed and as Lily and Martha went to their own devices, he was left alone, thinking of the human he'd fallen in love with. Always the humans, he thought.

***

**Author's Note: I'm writing Sound of Drums/Last of the Time lords now, and I'm a bit confused about whether Lily would know the Master.  
I've aready said that Lily was young when the time war happened and Gallifrey got destroyed, and I don't know much about the master's history.  
Should she know who the Master is? Or should it be someone new she meets?**


	13. Piano

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**Author's Note: This was going to be Utopia, but I wanted a break to finish off Family of Blood and link that into starting Utopia. I also wanted some more Doctor and Lily stuff, and then some Jack and Lily stuff**

**Second update of the day because everyone was so helpful with the reviews on the last chapter.**

Chapter Thirteen

Lily sat on the stool in front of her beautiful black piano, in the corner of the library. Her fingers moved across the keys quickly as she played a tune. She sighed and stopped halfway through and shook her head.

It had been barely an hour since they'd left their human lives behind, left Latimer, Benedict, Joan and everyone, and decided to move on with their lives. While the Doctor wanted some time to be alone with his thoughts, and Martha went off to explore the TARDIS - she'd been here months and still managed to find new things, Lily went to play her piano.

She sat in the silence for a moment, before a thought struck her and she started to play something she knew by heart and which she loved dearly.

As she played the Moonlight Serenade, she could only think of him. This had been the song she and Jack had slow danced to the first time they met, and it was _their _song. It was beautiful.

She was halfway through playing when she looked up and saw the Doctor standing in the doorway. She stopped suddenly, and looked at him.

" That's lovely," the Doctor said, " mind if I join you? "

" 'Course not," Lily said, putting the lid down on the piano and turning to talk to him. She watched him cross the room and then sit down on the sofa.

" Are you alright? " she asked him, already knowing the answer.

He shook his head, " You know ... not really. "

Lily didn't know what to say in response, but luckily she didn't need to reply because the Doctor continued, talking half to her and half to himself, " She wasn't interested. I went back ... told her she could travel with us, and me and her could start all over again. She said she couldn't. "

" I'm sorry," Lily said quitely, " she was ... she wasn't half bad. "

The Doctor heaved a sigh, " She said John Smith was dead, and she didn't want someone who looked like a dead man. She didn't want me, because she knew I'm trouble. She asked if anyone would have died if we hadn't shown up there. She knew the answer. "

Lily couldn't stand to see him upset, and she got up from the piano stool and came to sit next to him of the sofa, " It never would have worked," she told him, " you're better off out of it. "

" I know," he said, though he wasn't sure he believed that. He sighed and then reached out, wrapping an arm around Lily's shoulders, " But I've still got you, right? "

" Yeah," Lily said, " there's always me. " She dropped her head onto his shoulder and said, " You want to know a secret? "

" Go on then," he said.

" I doubted you today," she said.

" You did? " he asked, sounding suprised and a little hurt.

" Just a little bit," Lily said, snuggling closer to him, " when we were trying to convince you to open your fobwatch, I really thought you might choose to stay with her. You could have got married, had a family, grown old together, and I thought you were going to choose that. Over me and the TARDIS. "

" Never," the Doctor said firmly, " it doesn't matter what family I could have had with her ... I don't need them. I've already got my family. "

" Yeah," Lily said, satisfied, " I didn't think you'd _really _choose her," she added, though she completely had thought he might do.

" Of course not," the Doctor said, though he knew she'd actually doubted him. He tightened his grip around her shoulders, " Just one thing - I will _always_ choose you. You've got to know that. You'll always come first. "

Lily smiled, " What would I do without you? " she asked, shaking her head, " you know, I think I like this regeneration the best. Better than the last one, at least. "

" Really? " he asked, amused, " but why? "

She shrugged, " I don't know ... just do. You were so serious and a bit ... introverted, in your last regeneration. This time you're more fun, bit more outgoing and that. And there's more techno-babble. And there's the great hair and the stupid grin. "

The Doctor laughed at her.

Then she stopped and sighed, " But, you're more protective too. That's a bit annoying," she added.

" Only looking out for you," the Doctor said, shrugging, " which remind me - I wanted to ask about you and that Benedict kid. "

Lily scoffed, " Oh, that's nothing. He was a friend, I suppose, and he asked me to the village dance because neither of us had no-one else to go with. He's gay, dad. He was quite nice, actually. All the nice ones are usually gay. "

The Doctor didn't know what to say at her frank approach to it, and she laughed at the confused look on his face. They fell into silence for a moment, before a thought occured to Lily.

" What happens to them? " she asked, " Joan ... Tim ... Benedict? "

The Doctor said, " I don't know about Joan. I didn't want to look that up ... it's a bit ... I don't want to know. I'd rather move on. I looked up Latimer and Foster though. Both went on to fight in the first world war, of course. I don't know much else about them, but they both survived. Lived to ripe old ages. "

" Good," smiled Lily.

They stayed sat there for a while longer, not saying anything, but happy to be Time Lord again, and to have their lives back. After what must have ben ten or fifteen minutes, the Doctor moved his arm from Lily's shoulder and stood up.

" I'm going to get a drink," he said.

Lily smiled, " See you in a bit. "

He looked down at her and smiled at her before leaning down and tucking a strand of hair behind her ear in the way he did so often, " You get some more piano practise in," he said, " I want you to be able to play better than Mozart. "

" Pfff," she scoffed, " just give me three minutes. "

***

A few weeks passed.

They'd been going about their business as usual, and Lily had been racking her brains, trying to think about where she could find Jack. Everywhere they went, she asked around to see if anyone had heard of him, though it was a very long shot.

That night, she was laying in her bed, fast asleep.

She was dreaming. Except that they weren't dreams, they were her memories. She had them sometimes, but this time was different. This time she was dreaming about so many different times between she and Jack. They were just drifting backwards and forwards in her mind, and there was such a long line of memories.

She curled into a ball and clung to the covers as she dreamt.

_It was 1941 and she was hanging from a barrage ballon. " Ok, ok, I've got you," a smooth American voice called._

Flash. The dream changed. _She was inside the spaceship and a handsome american captain had just caught her in his arms as she landed in his ship._

Flash. _They were slow dancing ontop of the ship, while Big Ben chimed in the background._

Flash. _The Doctor - in his ninth regeneration - rolled his eyes at her, " The minute a good looking man comes along, you're there. "_

Flash. _She and Jack standing in front of the TARDIS. " How about it? " she asked him," come travelling with us? "_

Flash. _They were sitting in the kitchen. " 200 years old? " he asked with a grin, " looking pretty good on it. "_

Flash. _Walking through the Powell Estate with Jack's coat wrapped around her._

Flash. _Sitting in a bar with him. Over the cocktail he'd bought her, he told her she was beautiful._

Flash. _They were at Cardiff Bay, just before the Boom Town, Slitheen thing. As they walked towards a cafe, his arm around her shoulders, he said, " One day, Captain Jack, Lily and the innuendo squad. "_

Flash. _He winked at her._

Flash. _" You're going to leave me all alone? " he asked. She shrugged, " Am I needed? " He nodded, " Always. "_

Flash. _They were sitting by the bay with a glass of champagne each. Jack grinned, " I'm with the cleverest woman I've ever met and she's fun and lovely. We're in dreary old Cardiff - what more I want? "_

Flash. _She had her back to him, but he came up behind her, grabbed her at the hips and turned her to face him, kissing her for the first time. _

Flash. _They were in her room and she was upset. He wiped a single tear away from her cheek and then kissed her._

Flash. _They were at the swimming pool. They'd had a long talk, and he grabbed her at the waist and pulled her into the water with him, kissing her fiercely._

Flash. _They were at an ABBA concert, and were seperated from Rose and the Doctor. He danced her around under his arm and then kissed her._

Flash. _They were alone in the kitchen. Jack picked her up effortlessly and planted her down on the kitchen table before wrapping his arms around her and pressing his lips to hers._

Flash. _He held her in his arms and promised her, " Everything will be alright. "_

Flash. _On the Game Station. Lily watched and laughed as Jack held up two guns, " Do I look like an out-of-bounds sort of guy? "_

Flash. _Jack kissed her as they said goodbye and told her, " You're the best thing that ever happened to me. "_

Flash. _She ran after him and forced to him stop and say a proper goodbye. He said many things, determined to make her feel better. " This isn't the end," he told her. " We're going to be alright," he told her. " I'm so glad I met you," he breathed in her ear. " Good luck baby," he said._

Flash. _The last time she heard his voice - he was saying something on the comms, but she couldn't make it out._

Flash. _She found his dead body and realised that they'd never even said I love you. As she crouched by his dead body, she finally told him " I love you. "_

Flash. _She met a parallel Jack in another world. She met his husband too - a man named Ianto. He told her, " Everything will be ok in the end. If it's not ok, then it's not the end. "_

Flash. _It was the Battle of Canary Wharf. It was over. In the rubble, Lily met Ianto Jones. He was injured and she was helping him. They were talking and she asked him, " Do Torchwood have any other branches? "_

Flash.

And then came the memory that changed everything. Ianto had replied to her question with, " _Cardiff - I could go there. Small team, run by some guy named Capt - " _He'd been cut off at that point.

Then she dreamed something else. " _Lily Harkness," she said, giving him her name. As she walked away, he'd called after her and it was only now that she remembered what he'd said_

_._

He'd called after her," _That wouldn't be any relation to - ? "_

Lily's eyes shot open.

She took a minute to think about it and then sat bolt upright, her mind whirring at 100 miles an hour as she thought about the last few things in her dream.

Ianto Jones. All this time she'd wondered where Jack was and now, Ianto Jones, that lovely welshman had given her the answer. In fact he'd given it to her almost a year ago, but she was too busy at the time. She hadn't listened to him, and if she had done, she might have found Jack a long time ago.

Could he really be .... she stopped to think about it, and then grinned. Yes - yes, he could be.

She jumped out of bed and started pulling her clothes on while thinking about it.

Ianto had started saying Captain. Then he'd started asking her if she was any relation to someone else. How many Captains could be around? She already knew he might have been in the 21st century, because both Martha and Sarah Jane thought they'd heard his name before. But .... running a branch of Torchwood? Although she hated Torchwood after the Canary Whark battle, that wasn't important. What was important was Jack.

And how many people were there with the surname Harkness? Ianto had to mean Jack ... he'd been so close to telling her where Jack was all those months ago.

As she yanked the bedroom door open and ran for the console room, she grinned to herself. It briefly crossed her mind that she might just think all this because she wanted Jack back so badly.

Then she dismissed that thought immediately. Time Lords had very good gut instincts, and she was certain that this was where she could find Jack.

She burst through the doors to the control room to see that Martha and the Doctor were already awake, and seemed to have been for a while, since they were fully dressed and just chatting away.

" What's the rush? " the Doctor asked as he looked at her.

" Cardiff! " Lily said, stopping just in front of him and he stared at her in confusion.

" What? " he asked, shaking his head.

" Cardiff," she said again, this time louder, " dream .. told me ... Ianto ... Cardiff! "

" What? " the Doctor said, frowning while Martha and he exchanged bewildered looks.

" Never mind what! " Lily said, stopping to think long enough to make coherent sentences, " I want to go to early 21st century Cardiff, and we need to go right away. "

The Doctor nodded, " I wanted to go soon anyway to refuel, but why the big rush? "

She laughed, " I think I've found him. "

Laughing louder, she rushed around the controls and pressed one of the buttons, pulling down a lever, " Dad, set the controls," she said, " we're going to find that gorgeous Captain of mine. "


	14. Utopia

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**Author's Note: I **_**think **_**the year on Earth would have been 2007, going by when series 3 of Doctor who aired, when series one of Torchwood aired.**

**I wasn't going to add this until tomorrow, but I'm on such a high from writing it, that I really wanted to get it out there. Also because I love my readers, so three updates in one day!**

**I'm currently only a little bit of the day through Sound of Drums, so that's going to take a bit longer to get up, but it'll be as quick as possible. **

Chapter Fourteen

The Doctor stared at his daughter for just a second before a grin crossed his face, " You think you've found him? "

" He's there," Lily said, " I just ... I just know it. Let's go! "

The Doctor wanted her to be happy again, so off he went and did exactly as she'd said - he'd messed up her happiness with Jack the first time around so it was up to him to set things right. He set the controls for exactly where she wanted them and as their journey began, he asked her,

" How do you now he's there? " he asked.

Lily shrugged, " Just something someone said, a while ago. I've only just remembered it ... he has to be there. And Cardiff's not that big. All I have to do is flash the psychic paper a bit, ask around, and I've got him back. " She laughed, " Isn't this brilliant? "

***

Meanwhile, Captain Jack Harkness was indeed on planet Earth. It was the year 2007 and he was in Cardiff, currently underneath the bay, in the Torchwood hub.

He'd been running Torchwood Three - the Cardiff branch - since the millenium, though he'd been involved with Torchwood for many years before that, working a little for them, and a little freelance.

Since the battle of Canary Wharf, almost a year ago, they were the only real branch of Torchwood left, but Jack had started severing tears with London before then. He hated everything they stood for ... the killing, the stealing .... the moment Torchwood became his own, he changed it. Made it his own. Made it something Lily would be proud of when he got her back.

He was alone in his office when he heard it.

The noise he'd waited for so long.

He'd been waiting since 1869 for them, and now there was that noise he needed to hear. She was back. He could have his Lily back, because she was back, and the Doctor was back.

138 years of waiting were over when the wind rushed through the Torchwood Three hub, ruffling his hair, as that brilliant noise rushed through the room.

He looked around and saw that the severed hand they'd found ... the Doctor's hand. It was bubbling away and he grinned, knowing this was it.

Without any more hesitation, he was running.

He was going to get up there and get his girl.

He laughed as he ran ... she'd never forgotten him. She'd met Ianto briefly at the Battle of Canary Wharf, and she'd given her name as lily Harkness. Then he'd employed Ianto into his own team.

Lily Harkness. Now that, he liked.

He could have Lily and everything was going to be alright.

***

Lily laughed gleefully as the TARDIS landed.

" So what now? " Martha asked.

" I'm going to find that man I love," Lily told Martha, " and then we're going to live happily ever after. "

She grinned and headed for the door. As she did so she could hear the Doctor telling Martha, " The thing about Cardiff is that it's built on a rift in time and space - just like California and the San Andreas fault line. The rift bleeds energy. Every now and then I need to open the engines, soak up the energy and use it as fuel. "

" So this is a pit stop too? " Martha asked as Lily opened the door.

She didn't hear the Doctor's response, because she'd stepped out of the TARDIS and closed to blue door behind her. She looked around and thought about the last time they'd been here.

It had been she, Rose, Jack, Mickey and the Doctor in his 9th regeneration. They came to refuel and ended up running into a Slitheen - Margaret. There was a while when the Doctor went out to dinner with Margaret while Rose and Mickey wandered off and Jack and Lily were left alone in the TARDIS.

Smiling to herself, she walked over to the edge of the railings, where the wind blew about her hair. She put her hand on the railing and looked up and down.

She remembered how they'd each had a glass of champagne as they stood outside right where she was standing right now. They'd been talking, and Lily got up and turned her back on him. He'd come and stood behind her, grabbed her and kissed her.

Later that night they had a long talk which resulted in them getting together.

Lily turned away from the bay in time to see a middle aged woman walking past - she knew better than to ask the woman about Torchwood - Torchwood was meant to be a secret place, if that's where Jack even _was. _

Instead, she asked her, " Excuse me? "

The woman looked at her, suprised to be adressed.

" Don't suppose you know of a Jack Harkness? " she asked.

The woman shook her head and replied in a lilting welsh accent, " No, I'm sorry, love. "

Lily thanked her and walked away. She was determined to find Jack, even if she had to wander around and ask every single person she saw. She was going to find him, she knew it. The next person to pass her was a couple of teenage boys.

" Hey! " she called out as they walked past.

" What d'you want? " one shouted, looking over his shoulder at her.

" Do you know where I could find someone named Jack Harkness? " Lily asked hopefully.

The boy laughed, " Who wants to know? "

Lily reached for her coat pocket with the psychic paper in, and sighed when she realised she wasn't even wearing her coat, let alone carrying the paper.

" We don't know him, lady," one of the other boys said, " never heard of him. "

Lily sighed and then decided that she wasn't going to get anywhere unless she had the paper or something. She needed people to think she was police or something ... or she just needed to ask the right person ... but she didn't know who. She headed back for the TARDIS.

***

Jack got out of the hub, which was underground, under the Roald Dahl Plass. He ran through the tourist office which was used as a front ... a fake tourist office they used as a cover for the entrance to their base.

He was running across the square when he saw it. It was there, it was really there, just as he remembered it, and he was going to be reunited with her again.

As he ran, he saw her and his heart almost stopped.

***

She closed the door behind her.

***

He watched as she stepped into the TARDIS and shut the door after her. He ran faster because he needed to get there. He needed to get to her.

She was there and although it was only a glimpse, she was beautiful. Wearing a pair of jeans, a red t-shirt and a pair of silver ankle boots, her black hair just to her shoulders. She was there and she was perfect.

***

" Back so soon? " the Doctor asked her, barely looking up from the console, "surely you can give it a bit more effort than that. Oh, and it looks like the rift's been very active recently, so we're done repowering in 10 seconds. "

" Just getting some paper," Lily said, reaching for the coat which she'd tossed over the other side of the controls. She grabbed her coat - the long black trench coat which reached the ground - which she'd started wearing after losing Jack because it remiended her coat his military coat.

She pulled the coat on and buttoned up three buttons before reaching in her pocket and pulling out a bit of psychic paper. She grinned and headed for the door again, only for the entire TARDIS to shake.

It shook so violently that she was thrown to the ground, and when she looked around, the Doctor and Martha were scrambling to their feet.

Lily gasped as there was a noise from the engines, and she rushed to the controls as the console sparked.

" What's going on? " she demanded.

" It just started itself! " the Doctor said, staring at the console in a look of confusion. He had no idea what had happened, and Lily shook her head as she stared at the console.

The engines whirred and Lily realised that they were starting to move.

" What's doing that? " she demanded, " we need to stay here! What about Jack?! "

" It's controlling itself! " the Doctor said, trying to stop it.

***

Jack's heart almost stopped again when he saw that the TARDIS was fading away. There was no way they could to that to him! He knew that Lily wouldn't leave him.

If she knew he was here, that was. He continued to run towards the TARDIS even as it faded away, and he was determined that they weren't going to get away.

***

The console sparked and they were all thrown to the floor again. Lily groaned and the Doctor got on his knees in front of the console, grabbing Lily's arms and pulling her up too. They stopped just in front of the screen and Martha was the first one to notice it.

" Look! " she said, pointing at the screen.

Lily looked where Martha was pointing and was shocked to see Jack on the screen. She stared for a moment, before shouting, " Yes! Jack! Jack! "

On the screen, which showed what was going on outside, Jack was running towards the TARDIS, a backpack slung over his back. He looked desperate to get to them, and he looked the same as he always had done ... every bit as gorgeous, every bit as ... Jack.

" I can't stop the engines," the Doctor said.

***

Outside, Jack ran as fast as he could, but he knew the TARDIS was going to leave. He ran for it, threw his arms out and clung to the side as tight as he could.

If they were going, they were taking him with them.

Lily was so close and he wasn't going to let go for anything.

***

" What's going on? " Martha asked, clinging to the console.

" We're accelerating into the future," said the Docotr, frowning at the controls and watching the screen as the TARDIS moved, " the year one billion. Five billion. Five trillion. 50 trillion. What? The year 100 trillion! "

" But that's impossible! " said Lily, " isn't it? "

" Why, what happens then? " Martha asked.

The Doctor frowned, " The end of the universe," he looked at Lily and then shook his head, " end of the universe! This _cannot _be happening. End of the universe! "

Lily was confused by it and shook her head - there was no way this was happening. Never mind the end of the universe, she was too busy focusing on thoughts of Jack. They'd been so close ... he was there in Cardiff. She'd _seen _him.

She ran a hand through her hair in frustration as she thought about him ... so close. So bloody close. She knew where he was now, and they needed to get back there, but something was taking them right away, and was dragging them to the end of the universe. Well, that thing had better get lost, because she needed to be with Jack. She didn't care what was going on - she'd gotten so close to Jack and now she wanted him more than ever.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a mighty thud, and both women looked at the Doctor.

" Looks like we've landed," the Doctor said.

" What's out there? " Martha asked him fearfully.

" I don't know," the Doctor shrugged.

" And_ I _don't care," Lily said, " let's go find Jack. "

" What do you mean, you don't know? " asked Martha, " you know everything. "

The Doctor shrugged, " Not even the Time Lords came this far. We should leave. We should really go. We should really ... really ... go. " Lily knew even as he said it, that they weren't just going to go, however much she might want to focus on Jack - she couldn't describe everything going through her.

Happiness at the thought of finding him, completely joy. Glee. Then frustration, annoyance, anger, at being so close and then coming away. And confusion at what the hell they were doing here.

She followed her dad to the door, Martha following them too, and when the door was yanked open, the first thing she noticed was the barren wasteland they were stood on. The second thing she noticed was Jack laying on the ground, flat on his back. Dead.

" No," she said, moving forwards quickly, shaking her head.

" Lily," the Doctor called, his voice mumbled to her as she ran forwards and dropped to her knees beside him.

She took his hand in hers - stone cold - and shook her head as she knelt by him, " No," she said," you can't. I came to find you, and you're ... wake up! "

Hands were on her shoulders, and she struggled as the Doctor pulled her to her feet. She tried to fight again him, but he grabbed her and forced her to look at him. He smiled, to her suprise, and then put his hand to her cheek, " Lily. Lils, don't you remember anything I tell you? He'll be fine, remember? "

Lily stared at him for a moment, and then a slow grin crossed her face, " Of course," she said, " I forgot ... I panicked. Yeah, he'll be fine. "

" There's no pulse," Martha said. Lily looked around, and saw that when she'd moved away, Martha had knelt by him, to check him out. " I'm sorry ... he's dead. "

The Doctor nodded, " Must have happened when the TARDIS left. Looks like he's clung to the outside of the TARDIS all the way through the vortex. Very him. "

" He never did like to do things like normal people," Lily grinned proudly, " when does he wake up? How long does it take? " she asked the Doctor, who shrugged.

Lily just nodded and bit her lip as she looked down at the love of her life, waiting for him to want up so she could see him again, and they could be together again.

"I'm sorry," Martha said, looking around at Lily, " There's no heartbeat ... no nothing. He's not ... "

Then she stopped talking and screamed loudly. Jack, gasping for breath as he sat bolt upright, had come back to life, grabbing Martha's arm for support. Martha was screaming and staring at him in shock, while the Doctor was just watching calmly, and Lily watched with a huge, huge grin.

Here was Jack. Alive, here, Jack. Just Jack. And that was all she needed.

The first thing he did was focus on Martha, who was sat right next to him, looking at him curiously. Here was the man that Lily had loved, lost and got back again, and Martha wanted to know what was so special about him.

" Captain Jack Harkness," Jack said, as Lily almost melted at his tones, " and who are you? "

" Martha Jones," Martha supplied.

" Never mind her," Lily said, a smile plastered across her face as she put her hands on her hips.

Jack had been in the process of getting up, but he stopped and stared when he heard her voice. He looked up at her from where he sat on the ground. She stepped forwards and he grinned, staring at her, looking thrilled to see her, but in awe too.

" Baby," he said, sounding so completely in awe that Lily's eyes started to tear. She blinked away the tears and then the moment of silence between them was gone. The silence and the doing nothing was over.

At the same time, Lily rushed forwards to him, and Jack started to scramble to his feet.

The moment he was stood up, Lily threw her arms around him, throwing herself at him with such force that he might have gone toppling back if he hadn't thrown his arms around her just as fierely. He caught her in his arms and hugged her so tight she felt her bones might break, but she didn't care.

" I've got you," Jack said, hugging her with such force that he picked her up from the ground. He laughed and picked her up higher until the wrapped her legs around him, though her trench coat got in the way.

Then like something out of a movie, because he wanted to treat her like the princess that she was, Jack spun her around and then stopped, leaning in. Her legs still wrapped around his waist, and his arms around her, she brought her hands to his face, one of each of his cheeks.

" It's you! " she grinned, touching his face and never wanting to let go, " It's really you! Oh, Jack, I thought you were dead, and then I found out you weren't, and I wanted to find you but I didn't think I'd be able to. And then I remembered about how you might be in Cardiff and then we - "

Jack shook his head, " Lily, you're rambling," he said, " just shut up. "

And with that, he kissed her and everything went away. All other thoughts were gone and it was just Jack. But this time it was _she and _Jack and they were together. Just like they were supposed to be.

They kissed for a long moment, and she felt like she was going to explode. He made her feel like no-one else ever had, and when their lips were together, it was perfect. When his tounge explored her mouth, she knew they were perfect together. When they broke apart they were both smiling so much their faces ought to have cracked.

" I've waited," he told her, spreading one hand out across her back to keep her supported and bring the other to her cheek while one of her hands ran its her through his hair, " such a long time to find you and tell you that I love you. "

She stopped moving her hand and stared at him. " You." she said, with a smile after a moment, " what's the world coming to when Captain Jack Harkness is in love? "

" The world will have to deal with it," he said, " because I love you. "

She smiled, " I love you. I ... I do. I love you. "

And then it didn't matter that they'd never said it before - they'd both known it. And they could finally say it now.

Jack grinned and leant in, planting a quick peck on her lips before putting both hands on her waist and planting her down on her feet. Lily was estatic, and all she wanted to do was kiss him again. She wanted to kiss him and never let go of him for the rest of their lives, but she didn't.

The only thing that stopped her throwing her arms around him again was the fact that they needed to find out why they were in the year 100 billion. She smirked a little ... they could always kiss and make up later. They had the rest of their lives for all of that. And they both had such long, long lives ahead of them.

" Isn't this brilliant? " Lily grinned, turning to Martha and the Doctor. Martha was watching them with a smile, happy that her friend could now be happy, and intruiged to know more about the man.

The Doctor, meanwhile, was watching them feeling pleased that his little girl could have her happy ending, but also with a look of disgust. He didn't need to see them .... kissing and stuff.

" Doctor," Jack said, nodding at the other man, somewhat stiffly. He knew the Doctor had purposely left him, and he'd suspected that Lily didn't know anything about it at the time - he'd had a lot of time to think, and he was certain that she would never have let him. The Doctor, on the other hand, was a father, and he didn't want them to be together. So Jack suspected he'd split them up.

" Captain," nodded Doctor, not quite meeting his eye, and feeling guilty again, even if he'd already resolved his issues with Lily.

" Good to see you again," Jack told him, as Lily stood close to Jack, so close they were shoulder to shoulder.

" And you," the Doctor said, " same as ever ... although ... have you had work done? "

Lily scoffed and Jack laughed, " You can talk! "

" oh yes," the Doctor said, only just remembering, " the face. Regeneration. How did you know it was me? "

Jack shrugged in an off hand little way, " The police box kind of gives it away. And where Lily is, you usually are. I've been waiting for you two for a long time. " He inhaled and then his tone suddenly changed, this time accusing, " you abandoned me. "

Lily didn't want any arguments. Yes, the Doctor had been wrong, and what he'd done was foolish, and she'd hated him at first, but they'd talked it through and she'd forgiven him.

" Jack," she said, touching his chest lightly, " don't. "

" You abandoned me," Jack said, looking at the Doctor and then at Lily, " just left me there. "

" I know and he's sorry," Lily said, " he is. He's sorry. And as for me, I didn't know about it. I thought you were dead for months, and months. Went mad when I found out. "

" Abandoned me," Jack repeated, looking at the Doctor. When the Doctor said nothing, Jack changed subject, " Just gotta ask - Battle of Canary Wharf. I saw the list of the dead. It said Rose Tyler. "

The Doctor suddenly grinned, " Oh no! Sorry, no! She's alive! "

Jack took a step forward and beamed, " You're kidding?! " he asked, moving closer to the Doctor.

" Parallel world, safe and sound," the Doctor confirmed, " and Mickey! And her mother! "

As the two men embraced, Lily smiled slightly, pleased that even if one had wronged the other, they could embrace and share in the joy that Rose was safe. Lily noticed Martha watching them sadly at the mention of Rose. Lily knew Martha was always in the shadow of Rose, and felt a little sorry for her. She moved closer to the Martha and offered her a friendly smile.

When the Doctor and Jack moved apart, Lily put her hands on her hips, " We just going to stand here all day? " she asked, " don't we need to find out what we're doing here. End of the universe ... aren't you just a little bit curious? "

The Doctor grinned at his daughter - she was so much like him sometimes, " Yeah, let's go. "

With that, he started off down the barren pathway, leaving the other three to follow after him. Martha followed him straight away, and Jack looked at Lily.

He offered out his hand, " Well, baby, shall we? "

Lily slipped her hand into his, their fingers interlocking and they followed Martha and the Doctor down the pathway. As they walked, Jack squeezed her hand and she smiled, looking up at him, and then squeezing his hand in return.

" I can't believe this is happening," she said, " it feels like ... a dream. Like I'm going to wake up, and you're not really here. There's ... there's so much to tell you. All this time I've wanted to see you, and there's so much to say, but what are we doing? We're walking down some deserted little bit of land 100 trillion years away from where you live. "

" Hey, nothing's perfect," Jack shrugged.

Lily shook her head at him and then laughed. She couldn't believe they were here together and everything little thing he said or did, no matter what it was, made her want to stare at him in amazement.

Martha turned around and smiled at them, and then fell into step beside them.

" What happened to you? " Martha asked Jack, worried, " how come you got left behind? What happened to you after that? "

Lily knew that Martha was worried about what was going to happen next to her, and wanted answers out of Jack. Jack, bitter at the Doctor, even if he loved and respected the man, was only too happy to answer, " Dalek invasion. I was seperated from the others. Long story short, I died and came back to life. Bit odd, I know, but I thought ah well, I'll go back to the TARDIS and everything will be alright. "

" But it wasn't," Martha said.

Jack shook his head, " So there I was, stranded in the year 200100, ankle-deep in Dalek dust, and _he'd_ gone off without me. " Lily squeezed his hand, trying to comfort him. Jack continued, " But I had this," he tapped the device on his wrist, as he told Martha, " I used to be a Time Agent. It's called a vortex manipulator. These two aren't the only ones who can travel in time. "

" Oh excuse me," the Doctor said, turning around, " that's not time travel! It's like I've got a sports car and you've got a space hopper! "

" Boys and their toys," Martha laughed while she and Lily exchanged a little exasperated look.

" All right," Jack said, so I bounced, " I thought, 21st century, best place to find my Doctor and my Lily. But I got it a little wrong. I arrived in 1869 and this thing burnt out so it was useless. "

" 1869? " Lily asked, shocked as she looked up at him, " you waited _that long? "_

_" _I'd have waited forever, baby, you know that," Jack said, barely looking at her, and so serious in the way he said it. She did a quick bit of maths - exactly 138 years he'd waited for her. Now that was love. That showed that he cared about her, and that he loved her so much he wanted to wait for her. She smiled.

" Told you that thing was useless," said the Doctor

Jack shrugged, " I had to live through the entire 20th century, waiting for a version of you two that would coincide with me. "

" That makes you more than 100 years old! " Martha cried.

" And good looking dont you think? " Jack smirked. Lily grinned - this was the Jack she loved. Jack who flirted with everything that moved and was so completely charming, but she didn't mind, because at the end of the day, he was still hers. Jack continued, " So I went to the time rift and based myself there, cause I knew you two'd come back to refuel. Then finally, I get a signal detecting you on this thing, and here we are. "

" The thing is," Martha said, " I don't get it - you left him behind because Lily and him were together. "

" That, and I was busy," said the Doctor, not turning around to look at them properly.

" Is that what happens though? " Martha asked worried, " seriously? Do you just get bored with us one day and disappear. "

" Not if you're blonde," said Jack sarkily.

Lily dug her nails into his palm a little to make him shut up.

" Oh, she was blonde? " Martha asked sarcastically, " well, that's a suprise! "

The Doctor suddenly turned around, " You lot! We're at the end of the universe! Alright? We're at the end of knowledge itself and you're busy ... blogging! Come on! "

He moved forwards and Lily dropped Jack's hand relucantly, moving forwards to see what was going on. They were standing at the edge of a canyon and below, it looked like there had once been a city there.

" Is that a city? " Martha asked.

Lily edged forwards to have a look, and the Doctor grabbed her arm and pulled her away from the edge forcefully, " Are you mad? " he demanded, " you fall down there and you're dead ... probably no time for a regeneration. Stay here. "

" As protective as ever," Jack noted.

" What's down there? " Martha asked as Lily kept on peering over the edge, from where she stood just behind her dad, Jack a little way behind.

" A city or a hive," the Doctor said, " or a nest. Or a conglomeration. Looks like it was grown. But look there - it's like a pathway. Roads. Must have been life down there a long time ago. "

" What killed it? " Martha pressed.

Lily pursed her lips as she looked at it, her technical mind taking over, " Time. Right, dad? Just time. Everything here is dying. All the great civilisations are gone. This isn't just night - all of the stars have burned out, and faded away into nothing. "

" It must have an atmospheric shell," said Jack, looking up at the sky, " we should be frozen to death. "

The Doctor just looked at Jack, " Well, Martha, Lily and I maybe. Not so sure about you, Jack. "

" What about people? " asked Martha suddenly, " does no-one survive? This is the end of the universe and there's no-one here ... no-one lives on? "

" I suppose we have to hope," the Doctor said, " life will always find a way. "

" Well that guy's not doing too bad," Jack said, pointing down the pathway where a man was running down a path on his own, other people following him.

" Is it me, or does that look like a hunt? " the Doctor asked, looking around at the others, " come on! "

As they ran off, Lily tripped over a rock and let out a gasp as she almost fell to the ground. She didn't hit the ground because a pair of hands grabbed her arms and pulled her up, forcing her to keep on running, as he kept firmly hold of one hand.

" What would you do without me? " Jack asked, keeping tight hold of her as they ran.

She didn't reply, too busy running. As they did so, the Doctor looked over at them. He was incredibly protective of his little girl, even if she was hardly little anymore, and usually when they ran, he took her hand and made sure she was close to him, even if he knew he didn't need to. She could take care of herself, but he couldn't always accept that she might not need him.

They kept running until the man who was on his own met up with them. Jack grabbed him and told him he alright. The man was breathing heavily as he shouted.

" They're coming! We've got to run! "

Jack nodded and handed the man towards the Doctor, dropping Lily's hand and pulling a revolver gun out of his backpack, aiming it towards the near-human creatures who were chasing the man.

" Jack! " Lily shouted, outraged. She'd always been against death, and especially after losing Jack.

" Jack! " the Doctor said, noting the gun, " don't you dare! "

Jack fired into the air and the near human things - the man (Padra) said they were called the Futurekind - stopped moving through fear.

" What are they? " Martha asked.

Padra shook his head, " There's more of them. We've got to keep going. "

" I've got a ship nearby," the Doctor said, " It's safe. It's not far. It's just over ..." he stopped, as he realised they'd parked in the direction the Futurekind were coming, " or maybe not. "

" We're close to the silo," said Padra, looking around at them all, " we'll be safe when we get there. "

" Silo? " the Doctor asked, turning to his daughter and the other two companions, " shall we? "

Lily nodded, " Silo. "

Without any more hesitation, they were running again, trenchcoats flying out behind them as they moved as fast as they possibly could. The Futurekind were following them and Lily couldn't help but think that they were always in trouble - why should this time be any different?

They stopped when they got to the silo - a gated area with watchtowers and guardsmen.

" Open the gate! " Padra yelled, " it's the Futurekind! "

" Show us your teeth! " the guard replied hastily, "teeth! "

" Just show them," Padra said with a nod.

Lily was completely clueless as to what was going on, but she and the others bared their teeth when they were told. The guards declared them to be human and let them inside right away.

The Doctor grabbed Lily and shoved her inside in front of him, pushing Martha in after her and then she and Jack followed them inside. Just as they got in there, the guards closed the gates behind them and the Futurekind reached the gates, baring their teeth and snarling.

The guards raised their guns and Jack looked at the Doctor

" Oh, don't tell him to put his gun down," he said, rolling his eyes.

" He's not my responsibility," the Doctor said.

" And I am? " Jack scoffed, " that makes a change. "

Lily groaned and ran a hand through her hair, " Jack, can you just drop it? Please? "

Jack looked at her as if she was mad, " Drop it? Don't you understand? He knew I was alive and he left me there! Lily, he lied to you. He - "

Lily held up her hand to silence him, " I know," she said, " Dad and I have been through it all, and I forgave him. And you will too when you've had chance to talk to him. "

Jack looked like he wanted to argue, but he said nothing. He'd spent all this time waiting for her, and he wasn't going to mess it up by arguing with her.

The guard looked around at them and started leading them towards a large tunnel carved into the side of a mountain. The Doctor walked on in front, with Martha beside him, while Jack and Lily walked just behind, Padra and the guard in front.

" Can you take me to Utopia? " asked Padra of the guard, " my name is Padrafet Shafekane. "

" Oh yes," the guard nodded, " we'll get you there. "

The guard stopped at the entrance to long corridor and looked around at the group.

Before he could say anything, the Doctor started, " Listen, you've got to help us, I've got a ship out there. It's a box - a big blue box, and I really need it back. It's stuck out there. "

" And you've got to help me too," Padra said, " my family were heading for here. Did they get here? My mother's name is Kistane Shafekane. My brother is Beltone. "

The guard nodded, " The computers are down, but you can check the paperwork. Creet! " he shouted, " Creet! Passengers need help! "

A young boy who looked about ten and had a shining smile with a mop of fair hair appeared, " Right, what d'you need? "

Padra walked over to Creet and started talking to him while the guard looked at the Doctor, " Blue box, right? We're going out for the last of the water, so I'll see what I can do. "

The Doctor thanked the guard, and left before Creet looked around at them all, and told them to follow him. Lily stared at the young boy, " I'm sorry," she said, " but how old are you? "

" Old enough to work," he said, not fazed, " this way please. "

Creet started leading the way and Lily was horrified by how the young boy was made to work, and though working was so normal - he was just a little boy. What kind of universe where they in? This was what the end of the world came to?

" C'mon," said Jack softly, reaching out a wrapping an arm around her waist, pulling her to him as they started to walk. The Doctor looked at his daughter with a smile as he walked on her other side, Martha beside him.

" He's just a child," Lily said quietly as they walked down the corridor, where people were camping out everywhere, under bits of blankets and cardboard.

Creet, the little boy, walked in front of them with Padra, calling out for Padra's family, " Kistane Shafekane. Kistane Shafekane. Looking for a Kistane and Beltone Shafekane? "

" Anyone? " Padra asked hopefully.

" Anyone? " Creet echoed, " anyone know the Shafekane family? Kistane and Beltone Shafekane? "

" It's like a refugee camp," said Martha, horrified.

Jack sniffed, " Stinking," he said loudly as they passed a large man. The large man stared at Jack glaring, and Jack grinned, " Oops, no offence. "

Lily laughed and slapped his arm lightly. Jack grinned at her and she smiled back, thinking about how he could be so sweet and caring one minute, and the next, he was being silly and crazy again.

" Don't you see that? " the Doctor said, looking around, " the ripe old smell of humans. You survived. Oh, much better than a million years evolving into clouds of gas. And then another million as downloads, but you always end up reverting to the same basic shape. The fundamental humans. "

" You don't half talk a load of rubbish sometimes," Lily said, looking at the Doctor.

He shrugged, " I thought you like techno-babble? "

" Yeah, but that's not techno-babble," she told him, " that's just rubbish. "

" Look," Martha said, pointing at just in front of them. In the time it took Lily and the Doctor to have a quick conversation, Padra had found his family, and was hugging his mother and younger brother.

" Ah, see it's not all bad," Lily said as the Doctor moved away and started examining a door with his sonic screwdriver. Lily gently moved Jack's arm from around her and went to stand behind her dad, watching what he was doing.

He wasn't having much luck, and Lily turned around to see Jack shaking hands with a rather good looking and and giving him the infamous grin. She heard him say, " Captain Jack Harkness, and who are you? "

" Stop it," the Doctor said, shaking his head at Jack as he too turned around, " stop it and give us a hand with this. "

Jack joined them, and Lily looked up at him, a look of annoyance on her face. She said nothing, though she gave him and look, and Jack just smiled at her, as if to say it was nothing. She raised her eyebrows and he kissed her cheek before they all turned to see what the Doctor wanted.

" Half deadlocked," the Doctor said, " see if you can overwrite the code, Jack. "

Jack got to work on keypad while the Doctor continued to work on it with his screwdriver. Lily considered pulling out her beloved laser spanner to help, but as she was thinking that, the door slid open and the Doctor almost fell through it and into the silo.

Jack acted quickly and pulled him back, " Gotcha. "

" Thanks. "

" How did you cope without me? " Jack asked.

Lily ignored him as she peered into what was in the silo - a huge rocket. " Wow," she said, " that is some rocket. "

" Ah," the Doctor nodded, " They're not just refugees - they're passengers. "

" He said they were going to Utopia," Martha filled in.

" The perfect place," the Doctor said, " 100 trillion years and it's still the same. Do you recognise the engines? " he addd, the last part to Jack. Lily couldn't help but smile - they were partners in crime once again.

" Nope," Jack replied, " but it's hot though. "

" Boiling," the Doctor said, moving away from the door and sliding it shut.

Lily looked at the Doctor, wondering what their next move was going to be, but it was decided for them when a man ran up to them. He wore black trousers, a long white shirt, black waistcoat and had a shock of white hair. He was quite old and he turned to Jack.

" The Doctor? " he asked, ignoring everyone else.

" That's me," the Doctor said

The man immediately turned away from Jack and grabbed the Doctor's hand, starting to lead him away, " Good," he said, " Good. Good. Good. Good. Good. Good. Good. Good. Good. "

The Doctor looked over his shoulder at the others, " It's good apparently. "

Lily stifled a laugh and they followed the old man down the corridor. He was excited and he moved quickly, leading them away from all of the people and into a lab. It was a large room filled with computers and machinery.

An insectoid creature, a bright blue woman, stood there, " Chan-welcome-to," she said.

Lily smiled at the woman, though the couldn't place what species she was, and nodded at her as the old man, who introduced himself as Proessor Yana, started showing the Doctor some of the equipment in the room - Lily assumed he'd heard there was a Doctor here, and thought he might be clever enough to help

" Hello," Martha nodded to the blue thing.

The response was, " Chan-Chanto-to. "

" Captain Jack Harkness," Jack said, offering out his hand, while Chanto took and shook while Lily watched her carefully.

" Stop it," the Doctor wanred from where he stood not so far away.

" Can't I say hello anymore? " Jack asked, pouting.

Chanto giggled, " Chan-I do not protest-to. "

Lily grabbed Jack's arm and pulled him away. She looked up at him, annoyed. Flirting didn't bother her ... when they'd been having their secret relationship all that time ago, it didn't bother her, and they'd been off flirting with other people, but knowing they still loved each other. However, she'd only just got him back and now he was flirting with everyone already.

" Jack," she said, her blue eyes locking on his, " second person in five minutes. "

" Not jealous, are you? " asked Jack.

" I'm serious," she pouted, looking at him.

Jack bit his lip and felt a little guilty ... he'd spent so much time on his own that he flirted with everyone. He'd be so lonely and he allowed himself to flirt with other people. Now he had Lily back and it was hard to break the habits of a lifetime.

" I'm sorry," he said, sounding genuinely sorry, " I just ... " he stopped and then looked at her hopefully, " would I help right now if I told you I love you? "

She couldn't stay mad at his brilliant grin and that cheeky look in his eye so she just smiled and turned to the Doctor, " So what've we got here? " she asked him, moving forwards.

They were standing near some equipment, the Doctor with his glasses on as he looked at it ... Lily rolled her eyes - he only wore the glasses because he thought they made him look smart.

" So all this feeds into the rocket? " the Doctor asked.

" Yeah," Professor Yana said, " except without a stable footprint we'll never achieve escape velocity. If only we could harmonize the five impact patterns and unify them, well, we might yet make it. What do you think, Doctor? Any ideas? "

The Doctor frowned, " Well basically ... um ... not a clue. "

" Nothing? " Yana asked, disappointed.

" I'm not from around these parts," the Doctor said, " U've never seen a system like it. Sorry. "

Yana sighed, looking dejected and before they could say or do anything else, Martha, who was behind them, in a little sitting area, planted something on the desk and stared at it.

" Oh my god," she said, catching everyone else's attention, " you've got a hand. A hand in a jar. A hand in a jar in your bag. "

Lily stared at a blue jar which had a severed hand inside, the water bubbling away. She stared at it, and then at Jack's bag, where it had come from, and then looked at Jack, " This is the kind of stuff you collect for fun? " she asked, though she knew full well where the hand had come from.

" Thats ... that's my hand! " the Doctor said.

" I said I had a Doctor detector," Jack shrugged.

" Chan-is this a tradition amongst your people-to? " asked Chanto, also staring.

" Not on my street," Martha said, shocked, " what do you mean, that's your hand? You've got both of your hands! I can see them! "

Lily looked at the Doctor and gave him a look, " See? " she said, shaking her head, " this is what happens when you get into fights. "

" Long story," the Doctor told Martha, " I lost my hand in a swordfight. Christmas day. "

" What, and you just grew another hand? " asked Martha in disbelief.

" Um yeah," the Doctor nodded, " yeah I did. Hello," he waved his hand at her, and Martha looked completely shocked.

" Might I ask what species you are? " Yana asked.

The Doctor turned around and replied, " Time Lord. Last of. Well, me and that beautiful daughter of mine there. Heard of them? Legend or anything? Not even a myth. " Lily smirked when Yana showed no recognition of it, and the Doctor wasn't impressed. The Doctor tutted, " Blimey, end of the universe it a bit humbling. "

Chanto spoke up, " Chan-it is said that I am the last of my species too-to. "

" Sorry, what was your name? " asked the Doctor.

" My assistant and good friend, Chanto," supplied Yana, " A surviver of the Malmooth. This was their planet, Malcassairo, before we took refuge. "

" The city outside, that was yours? " asked the Doctor.

" Chan-the conglomeration died-to," came the reply.

" Conglomeration! " the Doctor cried, pleased with himsel, " that's what I said! "

" You're supposed to say sorry," Jack said, lazily draping an arm around Lily's waist and pulling her close to him as she giggled at her dad's idiocity.

" Oh yes," he muttered, " sorry. "

" You grew another hand? " Martha demanded, still stuck on that part.

The Doctor shrugged and turned to her, " Hello," he said, waving his hand, " it's fine, really. Look at me," he said, reaching out and taking her hand.

Martha squeezed his hand before he let go, " All this time, and you're still full of suprises. "

Lily watched as her dad clicked his tounge at winked at Martha. There. That was it, she thought - that was the crazy, over confident side that the ninth regeneration of dad never had. Sometimes she wondered what it would be like if _she _regenerated ... no. She liked it how things were now, although she'd been like thta an awful long time. Change could be good.

" So, what about the Beastie Boys out there? " Jack asked, " what are they? " he aske,d keeping his arm firmly around Lily.

" We call them the Futurekind," Yana supplied, " which is a myth in itself, but it is feared what they will become. Unless we reach Utopia. "

" And Utopia is .... ? " Lily asked.

" Oh, every human knows of Utopia," Yana said, rolling his eyes, " where have you been? "

" Bit of a hermit," the Doctor replied for her, moving closer.

" A hermit with friends? " the old professor asked.

" Hermits united," the Doctor said, making Lily want to laugh out loud, " we meet up every ten years. Swap stories about caves. It's good fun ... for a hermit. So, um, Utopia? "

Lily glanced at him - he was mental.

Yana said nothing and just led them to a computer which showed a chart with little blinking red dots on it. " The call," he told them, " came from across the stars over and over again. Come to Utopia. Originated from that point. "

" Where is that? " the Doctor asked.

" Oh, it's far beyond the Condensate Wilderness. Out towards the wildlands and the ark matter reefs. Calling us in. The last of the humans. Scattered across the night," Yana said.

" What d'you think's out there? " Lily asked, stepping closer.

" I don't know," the old man said, " a colony - a city, perhaps? The Science Foundation created the Utopia Project thousands of years ago to preserve mankind. To find a way of surviving past the collapse of reality. Now perhaps they found it. Perhaps not. But it's worth a look, don't you think? "

" Oh yes," the Doctor nodded.

Yana moved one hand to his head and rubbed his hand before frowning, " I - right, that's enough talk. There's work to do. Now if you could leave. Thank you. "

" You alright? " asked the Doctor, while everyone was suprised by the way the profesor had suddenly changed towards them.

" I'm fine! " Yana insisted, " I'm just busy. "

" Except that rocket's not going to work, is it? " the Doctor pointed out, " this footprint mechanism ... it's not working."

" We'll find a way," Yana shrugged.

" You're stuck on this planet, and you haven't told them have you? " the Doctor continued, " that lot out there still think they're going to fly. " He grinned and then crossed the room, going for the computer, " Professor Yana, now, this new science is well beyond me, but all the same, a boost reversal circuit, in any time frame, must be a circuit which reverses the boot. So I wonder what would happen if I do this? "

He picked up the circuit and started on it with the screwdriver. A second later, he grinned.

" Chan-it's working-to," said Chanto with a smile.

" How did you do that? " Yana asked, amazed.

" Oh, we've been chatting away, but I forgot to mention ... I'm brilliant," the Doctor said.

Jack poked Lily's side and asked, " I thought his word was fantastic. Whatever happened to fantastic? "

Lily shrugged, " It didn't fit the new teeth ... shame really because it was a good work. Then he went and stole brilliant from me. "

The Doctor then told Chanto and Martha to take the circuit boards to the rockets, and then told Jack to watch the monitor while he and Professor Yana worked on the largest circuit board in the lab.

" What about me, Dad? " Lily asked as he was about to walk past her.

He stopped and looked down at her as if he was only just remembering she was there. He reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Seeing she and Jack together made him realise that he wasn't always going to have his little girl to hisself, and now she was definitley grown up. He knew he was going to have to let her be with Jack and be happy with him.

He withdrew his hand and smiled, " Do what you want to do ... go over there. Go keep an eye on Jack. "

Lily looked at him and knew him too well. She knew that although he was smiling, he was feeling quite down really. She grabbed the lapels of his jacket and pulled him down, so she could kiss his cheek briefly.

" Love you," she said.

" What was that for? " he asked when he straightened up.

She shrugged, " You're not losing me," she told him simply, " I can have him and you, right? "

The Doctor said nothing, just smiling after her as she went to join Jack at the other end of the room. He was standing in front of a computer screen, and she stood next to him and slipped her hand into his.

He looked down at her and then smiled, tightening the grip between their hands.

They stood in silence until Lily said, " I've got so much to tell you, Jack. And there's so much you've gotta tell me. I want to know every single detail ... everything that happened. There's 138 years for you to fill me in on. "

" All in good time," Jack said, " when we're not busy here I promise I'll tell you everything. "

Lily sighed, " Spoilsport. At least tell me what you've been up to. "

" Lots of things," Jack said, turning to face her as they spoke, " fought in world war one, fought in world war two. Ended up all over the place. Started working for Torchwood in the 19th century and I've been working for them ever since. "

" I _went_ to Torchwood," Lily told him, " canary wharf. " She sighed and dropped his hand, " how could you work for them? They're ... they're scavengers ... that Yvonne women. Torchwood aren't right. "

Jack shook his head, desperate for her to understand, he took her hand and held it up, just in front of his lips. He kissed her hand and held it there as it told her, " It's different. I promise you. I took over at Cardiff in 2000 and I made it better. Had nothing to do with London. It's just mine now. Me and 4 others. "

He kissed her hand again and she just looked at him.

" I did it for you," he told her, though she wasn't convinced. He then rinned, knowing exactly what to say, " don't you remember? The innuendo squad? Little name Mickey made up and we decided to one day have one of our own ... an innuendo squad with someone who can make great coffee, because ours is both rubbish, and with aliens to fight and lots of running. "

" You did it? " Lily asked, running her thumb across the back of his hand.

Jack nodded, " I did. For you, baby. " He kept hold of her hand as he moved their hands to her waist and put the other hand under her chin, tilting her head up to make her look at him. " I've got us a huge underground base, with four people you're going to be great friends with. One of whom can make brilliant coffee ... the best you'll ever taste. The rift gives up plenty of work. Its always fun. That's all for you. "

Lily smiled, and leaned towards him. They shared a brief but nonetheless passionate and perfect kiss.

They were stopped from kissing again when a voice of the guard came over the tannoy system, announcing that the TARDIS had been found and collected. The Doctor grinned and opened the door they'd come to the lab in to see their precious blue box standing there, completely safe and exactly how it should be.

The Doctor hurried into it and came out a moment later with a long power line.

" Bit of extra power," he announced," Jack, you're in charge of the retro feeds. Lily, you're in charge of Jack. "

Martha and Chanto returned and that point and whilst Martha proclaimed her joy at seeing the TARDIS back, Chanto went to ask Yana if he was alright, as he was sitting there, looking a little dazed. Lily vaguely wondered if the old man was really alright, but was distracted by Jack ordering Martha to link up the rest of the cicuits up.

" You don't have to keep working," the Doctor told Professor Yana, " we can handle it. "

" It's just a headache," Yana said, " Just - noise inside my head, Doctor. Constant noise inside my head. " Lily was now on alert and was watching the conversation between the Doctor and Yana carefully.

" What sort of noise? " asked the Doctor.

" It's the sound of drums," said Yana, " more and more as if it's getting closer. I've had it all my life - every waking hour. " He stopped and shook his head, " still ... no rest for the wicked. "

Lily was watching Yana carefully but looked away when he met her eyes. She sighed and decided to get on with the work, though there was little she had to do.

Over the tannoy, Atillo - the guard - made contact with them, " Professor? Systems are down. Professor, are you getting me? "

" I'm here! We're ready! " Yana replied, " now all you need to do is connect the couplings. Then we can get this rocket launched. " They lost the equipment and he moaned in frustration, " god's sakes! This equipment! Needs rebooting all the time. "

" Anything I can do? " asked Martha, moving closer to him, while Lily and Jack peered at the monitor.

Yana told Martha to keep rebooting the system, to keep the connection going. When connection was made again, Yana told Atillo he could send his man inside the rocket, whilst those in the lab kept everything level. "

" Keep the levels below red, Captain," Yana told Jack.

Lily grinned. She remembered how when she first met Jack, she'd called him Captain rather than his name and it eventually drove him crazy. Then she'd called him it because she liked how it sounded. He called her baby, and she called him captain.

" What are you waiting for? " she asked him, a playful grin crossing her face, " keep an eye on the levels, Captain. "

" Yes ma'am," Jack grinned, turning to the monitor.

" Where is that room? " the Doctor asked, causing Lily to turn around and pay attention.

" It's underneath the rocket," Yana supplied, " fix the couplings and the footprint can work. But the entire chamber is flooded with Stet radiation. "

" Stet? " the Doctor repeated, " never heard of it. "

" You wouldn't want to, but it's safe enough. We can hold the radiation back from here. "

Lily looked around the room, not really paying attention, until Yana started muttering, " It's rising ... 0.2 ... Keep it level! "

Jack did as he was told, altering the settings on the computer as Lily watched over his shoulder. She leant against him and he turned around to look at her,

" You have no idea how much of a distration you are, do you? " he growled, as Lily giggled and gave him a smile he couldn't resist. He turned back to the monitor and altered the settings again, only for Lily to lay a hand on his lower back and shift closer again.

He turned around to her, grabbed her hand and held it in the air. He then leaned in and sent her hearts pumping at 1000 beats per minute as he pressed her lips against his ear. She thought he was going to kiss her again.

But then he whispered right in her ear, at almost a growl, " _Stop _distracting me. When we're done here, we can spend all the time in the world together. " Lily pouted and he shook his head, " seriously, baby, I can't do any work when there's an incredibly beautiful woman distracting me. "

Then he kissed her cheek and turned to the computer again.

Lily folded her arms and sighed, rolling her eyes, though she was smiling. She loved being with Jack again, and she still could hardly believe this was happening. The only thing she wanted was to be in the TARDIS, where they'd have nothing to do but sit around, talk and kiss.

" Chan-we're losing power-to! " shouted Chanto in a panic.

" Radiation's rising! " the Doctor called, trying to control it.

Lily's eyes widened as she looked at the screen - they were going out of control, " We've lost control! " she said, " the chamber's going to flood with radiation! "

" Jack! Lily! Override the vents! " the Doctor commanded.

Jack did the work, his fingers moving faster and faster. The Doctor shouted about getting the wires sorted. Jack left Lily to work at the monitor, which she did, hair tucked behind her ears as she narrowed her eyes in concentration.

" We can jump start the override," said Jack, holding the two cables before.

" Don't! " the Doctor shouted, a moment too late, " it's going to flare! "

It was too late, and Lily turned around in time to see the cables sparking wildly as the power coursed through and Jack fell to the ground, motionless. She screamed as he fell and she rushed forwards and stopped just in front of him.

She knew Dad had said he was immortal - and she'd already seen him come back to life once - she knew he had to be immortal if he'd managed to live from 1869 to here. But even so, there was the tiny bit of doubt that told her he might not come back to life - maybe something would go wrong.

She swallowed and took a step backwards, knowing that Jack was going to be alright - she might not like seeing it happen ... in fact she hated it, since she'd only just got him back ... but she new he'd be alright really. She didn't need to worry.

Martha shared no such feelings and rushed forwards, while Yana offered his commiserations and the Doctor walked over to Lily. He looked at her and was relieved to see that she was alright - not too disturbed by it. He smiled - his daughter was a clever girl, and she understood things easily.

Martha knelt beside Jack and started mouth-to-mouth on him, while Lily watched. Lily narrowed her eyes and looked ready to kill Martha. For a moment, she was so shocked that she didn't konw what to do. Then she came over herself and moved forwards, eyes cold.

" Lily! " the Doctor hissed, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her backwards, holding her fast, " Lils," he said, trying to make her calm down, " leave it, alright? Don't ... just don't do anything stupid. "

" She's kissing _my _boyfriend," Lily said.

The Doctor rolled his eyes - sometimes it was like having a teenager, " She's not _kissing _him. It's .... resusitation. She's trying to help. "

Lily didn't look impressed and so the Doctor let go of her and laid a hand on Martha's shoulder, pulling her up gently, " Just leave him," he said.

" You've got to let me try," Martha said, not knowing about the immortality thing.

" Come on, just listen to me," the Doctor said, shaking his head, and thinking about how difficult it was so look after two women at the same time, " leave him alone. "

Martha obeyed and then the Doctor adressed the Professor, while Lily watched Jack carefully, waiting for any signs of life.

" Well," the Doctor said, " It strikes me Professor, that you've got a room which a man can't enter without dying, correct? Well .... I've got just the man. "

And at that exact moment, there was an almighty gasp, and Jack came back to life.

" Was someone kissing me? " he asked.

The relief Lily felt at having Jack alive again was covered up by an anger towards Martha, which she knew was irrational because Martha had only been trying to help, but she couldn't help.

" Yeah," she replied, looking down at Jack, " but it wasn't me. "

Jack raised his eyebrows but said nothing. Lily looked down at that man she loved and then grabbed his hands and pulled him to his feet. He grinned at her and planted a quick kiss on her lips to let her know that she was the only one for him.

" Jack," the Doctor said carefully, " I think I've got a job for you. "

Jack looked at the Doctor, and right away knew what he was wanted for. He nodded, " You want me to go in that radiation filled room? " He grinned, " bring it on. "

" Good man," the Doctor said, heading for the door, followed by Jack.

" Hey! " Lily shouted, " I'm coming too! "

The Doctor looked over his shoulder, " Well, of course you are. If _I'm _going, and _he's _going, then of course you are. "

Lily grinned as she too headed for the door. Once she was stood there along side the two men, the Doctor reached out and grabbed her hand before Jack could, determined to keep hold of her. He liked to have her near him when they were rushing about - he liked to know they were alright.

The three of them ran as fast as they could, though Lily couldn't quite keep up with them, and the Doctor was pulling her along. Trench coats flew out behind them as they moved, and soon they stopped outside the control room.

In the second it took Lily to turn away from Jack to tell the guard they'd take care of things here, Jack had started stripped off. She turned around to see him pulling off his jacket, which he tossed to her, and then starting to fight his way out of his braces.

Lily watched with a grin, and was quite disappointed when the Doctor intervened, " By the looks of it, I'd say stet radiation doesn't affect clothing - only flesh. "

" I look good though," Jack said, heading for the door of the room. He stopped and looked at the Doctor, " How long have you known? " he asked, looking at him, and then at Lily.

" Couple of months," Lily replied.

The Doctor however, simply replied, " Ever since I ran away from you. Good luck. "

Jack nodded as if he'd known this all along and then entered the room, heading straight for the wires and the couplings. The Doctor watched through small circular window, while Lily stood leaning against the door, her back to the door as she looked the other way.

" When did you first realise? " the Doctor asked, as Lily listened curiously. But she didn't want to watch - she didn't want to see him messing about in a room of radiation, where she'd have to see him die again. Even is she knew he was going to come back to life, she didn't need to see it.

" 1892," Jack replied, loud enough for Lily to hear as she clung to his military jacket, " Got into a fight in Ellis Island. A man shot me through the heart. Then I woke up. Thought it was kinda strange. But it never stopped. Fell off a cliff, trampled by a horse, world war one, world war two, poison, strangulation, stray javelin ... in the end I got the message. I'm the man who can never die. And all that time you knew. "

" A factor in why I left you behind," the Doctor said, sighing and throwing an apologetic look to Lily, " along with the way I got stupidly protective over Lils. But yeah ... it's not easy even looking at you Jack, cause you're wrong. "

" Thanks," Lily heard her lover mutter sarcastically.

" You are, and I can't help it," the Doctor said, ruffling his hair, " I'm a Time Lord. It's my instinct - it's my gut. "

" It's not _my _instinct," Lily said, looking up at her dad like a little girl.

" That's because you're blinded my love," the Doctor said, " but Jack, you're a fixed point in time. A fact. That's never meant to happen. Even the TARDIS tried to shake you off - flew all the way to the end of the universe to get rid of you. "

" So what you're saying, is you're prejudiced? " asked Jack.

The Doctor shrugged, " I never thought of it like that. "

" And you, Lily? " Jack called, " are you prejudiced? "

Lily could hear the smile in his voice as she turned around and looked through the window at him, " Never. " He grinned at her quickly before going back to his work and she smiled, turning away again.

" What happened to me, anyway? " Jack called, " the last thing I remember about being mortal, I was facing three daleks. Death by extermination. "

"Bloody daleks," Lily muttered to herself.

" Rose," the Doctor said, clearing his throat.

" I thought you sent her home? " Jack asked.

" She came back," the Doctor told the other man with difficulty, " opened the heart of the TARDIS and absorbed the time vortex. No-one's ever meant to have that power. If a time lord did that, they'd become a god. But she was human. " He sniffed and Lily reached out to lay a hand on his arm, knowing how much this must hurt him to talk about her again, " everything she did was so human. She brought you back to life but she couldn't control it - she brought you back forever. That's something, I suppose. The final act of the time war was life. "

" Do you think she could ever change me back? " asked Jack.

Lily wanted to shout at him - being immortal was so much better for them both. They could spend the rest of time together - she had another 12 bodies to get through. They had ages together now he was no longer human.

" She's gone," the Doctor sighed sadly, " she's not just living on a parallel world. She's stuck there. The walls have closed. "

" I'm sorry," Jack said

The Docto didn't reply and Lily offered him a smile which he took a minute to return.

They were quiet for a while until the Doctor asked, " Do you want to die? "

Lily was shocked by the question and turned around again, throwing her dad a quick glare at the insensitive question but looking at Jack, curious of his answer. Did he eventually want to die? Did he want to live forever? She looked at him.

" Jack? " she asked gently.

He looked up. " I don't know," he replied, focusing on Lily, " thought I might want to one day, when there's nothing left for me, but right now, I got everything to live for. And there's everything out there. "

" You might be out there somewhere," the Doctor told Jack.

" I could go meet myself," Jack grinned, while Lily rolled her eyes at the thought of having two Jacks.

The Doctor grinned, " That's the only person you'd ever be happy with. "

Lily swatted at her dad and he ruffled her hair playfully. Jack simply shrugged, " I've got the only thing I need to be happy. Although ... this new regeneration .... it's kind of cheeky. "

The Doctor shrugged and Lily looked at him, " See? " she told him, " I told you tenth dad beats ninth dad. "

Jack finally released the last coupling and then ran for the door. He ran out and slammed the door behind him as he got into the corridor. Lily got on her toes and planted a kiss on his cheek before tossing his coat back to him.

They wasted no time in going to the controls and each inspecting them. The Doctor was muttering away, " Nearly there. The footprint's a gravity pulse. It stamps down, the rocket shoots up. Bit primitive. It's going to take all three of us to keep it stable. "

Lily was ready to work, pushing up the sleeves of her coat but Martha ran down the corridor, a little breathless, and stopped just in front of them, " Doctor! " she cried frantically, " it's the professor - he's got this watch! He's got a fobwatch. It's the same as those you and Lily had ... same engravings ... same everything. "

The Doctor looked at Lily and both shook their heads at once

" Don't be ridiulous," the Doctor said.

" I asked him," Martha insisted, " he said he's had it all of his life. "

" So he's got the same watch? " Jack shrugged, thinking it was nothing.

Lily was thinking about the time they'd turned human not to long ago... they watches they'd used. But they were the only time lord and lady left, so there was no way that someone else could possibly have the same one. She was certain of it.

" But it's not just a watch," said Martha to Jack.

" It's .... it's this thing," Lily said, looking at Jack, " this device, it rewrites biology. Changes a time lord into a human. "

" And it's the same watch," Martha said.

" Can't be," the Doctor said, dismissing it at once.

An alarm blared and the Doctor immediately tried to fix it while Lily held the controls at her end stable, whilst thinking about the professor's watch - that couldn't be the same as theirs. No way.

" That means he could be time lord," Jack said simply, " you might not be the last ones. "

" That's brilliant isn't it? " asked Martha.

Lily looked at her dad, " Is it brilliant? Could be a nice time lord. What if it's someone like my mum, or an old friend, or ... "

The Doctor shook his head, " No, they all died. It's brilliant depending on which one it is, but they all died."

" Not if he or she was human," Jack pointed out, as Lily thought that this was a very good point.

" What did he say? " the Doctor asked Martha, turning around and abandoning the controls, " what did he say? " Lily also forgot about the controls and was intent on finding out about Yana ... she'd thought there was something odd, but he couldn't possibly be a time lord. There were none left ... were there?

" He looked at it like he couldn't see it," Martha said," like that perception filter thing. "

" What about now? " Lily asked.

" What about now? " the Doctor repeated, " can he see it now? "

Martha didn't know the answer and the Doctor went on about how they'd all died in the time war. Jack pointed out that one of them could have escpaed and hidden here at the end of time.

" Think about what the Face of Boe said," Martha said, looking from Lily to the Doctor and back again, " His dying words. "

The Doctor turned away and launched the rocket. Lily watched him carefully, thinking about the Face of Boe's words. You Are Not Alone.

The Doctor started typing the password in to let the rocket have its final stages of launch - the password the was proffesor's name. Lily watched him type it and made the connection quickly - it was now all too obvious.

Yana, she thought. You are not alone.

Then suddenly, something inside her head clicked and she could sense it. Dad had always said they would sense other time lords, and now she was sure she could sense someone. There was another time lord.

" Dad! " she said, about to tell him about Yana, but he'd already knew, because he'd sensed him too. Lily smirked - of course he had. He was the cleverest man she knew.

" I know," he said," we need to get up there. "

They all rushed for the door at the other end of the corridor, but it swung shut and locked just as they got there. The Doctor cursed and pulled out his screwdriver, while Lily scrambled in her pockets for her spanner, and Jack tried the keypad.

" Get it open! " the Doctor yelled.

A second later, they'd done it and Jack threw the door open and allowed the girls to go through first, his leadership instinct from running his own team kicking in. Once they were through, they all ran down the corridor, Jack and the Doctor slightly in front of Martha as they headed back to the lab.

They met several of the Futurekind in the corridor, causing Lily to scream with suprise, as they all turned in the other direction. They ran in the other direction, the Futurekind chasing after them quickly. Lily groaned - they had enough problems - they didn't need these idiots chasing them too.

" This way! " Jack called, leading the others ahead.

The Futurekind were a fair way behind so Lily was relieved when they got to the door of the lab, but rather less so when they realised it was locked. Jack started working on the keypad, and Lily hammered on the door.

" Hey! " she shouted, " Let us in! Let us in! "

" Professor! " the Doctor yelled, also smacking on the door, " professor, where are you? Professor! Are you there? Please, I need to explain! "

" They're coming," Martha said frantically, looking over her shoulder.

" Professor! " the Doctor shouted.

" Let us in! " Lily demanded, pounding on th door even harder.

Jack suddenly smacked the keypad with the butt of the gun he'd been keeping - which somewhat alarmed Lily because he was so obviously used to using guns, and she was completely against it.

However, it got the door open, and the Doctor rushed in first closely followed by Lily. The pair of them stopped when they saw Professor Yana in the middle of the room. The Doctor rushed forwards, but Yana turned away and backed into the TARDIS, locking it behind him

The Doctor tried his key but it wouldn't work, so Lily tried her laser spanner and that didn't work, nor did the sonic screwdriver. Lily wondered which time lord this was to try and steal their TARDIS - had to be an evil one, she supposed.

The Doctor rushed forwards and started banging on the TARDIS doors, and as Lily stood trapped outside her home, she joined him there. That was theirs, and no-one could take it away from them.

" What do we do? " Lily asked the Doctor.

He looked at her and then at the TARDIS. " This," he said, before banging on the door and shouting to be let in.

Lily wasn't paying much attention to anything other than the TARDIS until Martha, at the other ide of the room, pronounced that Chanto was dead. Lily assumed Yana - or whatever his real name was - had killed her. Then, from the door, Jack shouted out in a panic - he'd broken the door and the Futurekind were nearby - they were going to be able to get in.

" Let us in! " Lily shouted, knocking on the door so hard her hand hurt, but she didn't care.

" I'm begging you," the Doctor said, scaring Lily with his desperation, " everything's changed now! " he shouted to the other time lord, " It's just three of us now! We're the only ones left! "

Lily could hear the shout inside the TARDIS, " Killed by an insect! How inappropriate! Still, if the Doctor can be young and strong, so can I ..... the Master reborn! "

Through the cracks in the door they could see a bright light and hear a shout - it was obvious that he was regenerating.

The Master. Lily looked to her dad and saw the shocked look on his face - he wasn't happy. Not happy at all, and he was desperate. It took Lily a second to place the name ... The Master.

Her dad had told her lots of stories about his adventures and the things he'd done before she was born. But he'd always been quite closed off when it came to talking about Gallifrey and the other time lords. There had been a couple of times when they were sitting in the library at night and she'd manage to get the odd details out of him.

Once or twice, he'd told her stories about the Master. He'd told her that the Master was an evil being - almost the exact opposite to the Doctor. He'd told her that he and the Master were of equal intelligence, and equal minds, but they were opposite and equal.

He'd also told her that she was to stay away from the Master if she ever met him, because she'd get hurt.

Lily might not have met the Master in person, but she knew he was bad news. And now he was hijacking _their _TARDIS.

" The Master? " she repeated, looking at her dad.

He glanced at her, looking grave and then started to hammer on the doors again, demanding to be let in.

There was a loud laugh from inside, and the voice of the Master inside the TARDIS filled the whole room as he took control of the speakers and adressed the room, " Doctor! Oooh, new voice," he said," Hello," in a low voice, " Hello," in a high voice, and then back in a normal voice, " hello. Anyway, why don't we stop and have a nice little chat while I tell you my plans and you can work out a way to stop me - I don't think! "

" Hold on, I know that voice," Martha said, frowning.

The Master laughed loudly and then added, " By the way, can't wait to meet this daughter of yours properly. As the Master. She's every bit as beautiful a her mother, isn't she? I look forward to getting better aquainted with her. "

" You don't talk about her mother," the Doctor said fiercely, smacking the door, " and you _don't _come anywhere near _my _daughter! "

Lily's eyes widened and she took an automatic step away from the door, panicked by this Master's reaction. She didn't want to be anywhere near him, and she was terrified about what would happen if she met him. But she knew her dad wouldn't let anything happen - if there was one thing he cared about above all else, it was her. And he didn't like to talk about her mother much, because it hurt him to remember how they'd once ben one happy family, so any mention of her from his enemy made him furious.

The Master laughed at the Doctor's reaction, " Well, I'm sure things are going to get interesting. What's her name? Your precious daughter's name, Doctor? "

The Doctor chose not to answer, while Jack was glaring from his place holding the door shut, though he could do nothing because he needed to keep the Futurekind out.

" I'm asking you," the Doctor said, " Just stop! Just think! "

" Use my name! " the Master shouted.

" Master," Doctor said, with a sigh, " I'm sorry. "

" Tough! " the Master roared.

" I can't hold out much longer! " Jack shouted as he struggled against the door.

The Master just laughed as the Doctor tried to pull his screwdriver out and do something. The Master laughed like a maniac, " End of the universe - have fun. Bye!"

" Dad! " Lily hissed, " do something! "

Lily looked around to see Martha and Jack fighting against the door, determined to keep the Futurekind out, while the Doctor could only watch in frustration, powerless, as the TARDIS dematerialised, with the Master inside it.

" Brilliant! " Lily said, throwing her arms out, " now what? "

***

**Author's Note: Well, what do we think?**


	15. The Sound of Drums

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

Chapter Fifteen

The Doctor groaned in frustration and then whirled around, looking at Jack They didn't have much time and they needed to get out of here right away. Jack and Martha were both throwing all their weight at the door to keep it shut, and it wasn't going to stay shut for much longer.

" Lily! " the Doctor hissed urgently, " get over here! "

Lily did as she was told, standing with the others as the Doctor grabbed Jack'a arm and shoved his sleeve up, revealing the vortex manipulator.

" We can use this," he said, pointing his screwdriver at it, " Jack, hold still." When Jack struggled against the door, he held his arm tighter, " hold still! "

" I'm telling you, it's broken," Jack replied, " hasn't worked in years! "

" That's because you didn't have me," the Doctor replied simply, as the screwdriver buzzed and blinked with light, " Lily, Martha, get hold! "

Martha stuck her hand ontop of the vortex manipulator, while the Doctor did the same. Jack grasped Lily's hand and held it tighter than was really neccessary, but she didn't mind. Jack was there and even with everything else going on, it was brilliant, because he was all she wanted.

The next thing she knew, her head throbbed and she felt too confused. She looked around to see that the four of them were standing in some empty little alleyway.

" Oh my head," Lily said with a groan.

" Time travel without a capsule," the Doctor said, " god, that's a killer. "

The Doctor and Martha started walking out of the alleyway and along the main street, checking that Jack's vortex manipulator had brought them to the right place. Lily and Jack stayed where they were.

Lily looked down at their hands, still interlocked, and Jack followed her gaze. He grinned and lifted their hands up, planting a kiss on the back of her hand. She returned the grin and he gave her a wink before they followed after the other two, Lily feeling slightly dazed just by Jack's close proximity to her and he held her hand tightly. She loved the way that no words were neccessary sometimes.

" At least we made it," he commented, " 21st century Earth by the looks of it. Ha, lucky. "

" That wasn't luck, that was me," the Doctor pointed out, as Lily came to the realisation that this was Jack's home time now, just like it was Martha's. It was strange to think that Jack had settled down in one town on one planet, even to the point of having a job and having proper responsibilities.

" I guess the moral is, if you're going to get stuck at the end of the universe, get stuck with an ex-time agent and his vortex manipulator," Jack said as they stood in the middle of a pavement.

" How do we know he's here? " Martha asked, "this Master bloke has got the TARDIS, so he could be anywhere in time and space. "

" No," the Doctor replied as people pushed past them, " he's here. "

" Who is he, anyway? " Martha asked, " that voice at the end ... that wasn't the professor. That was a different voice. "

" Yeah, he regenerated," Lily said.

" He what? " Martha frowned in confusion.

" Means he's changed his face, voice, body, everything. He's a new man," Jack filled in while Lily glanced at him, quite proud. She thought about how he'd worked for Torchwood - running it for 7 years, doing freelance for a long time before that. He must have learnt so much about all the different species out there.

" Then how are we going to find him? " Martha asked.

Lily was distracted by looking around at their surroundings. It was a typical pedestrian street and she saw a homeless man slumped against a wall, tapping an endless rhythm against a mug. She looked around and saw a woman talking on her mobile, tapping her foot in the same sort of rhythm.

" We'll know," Lily said.

" The moment I see him," the Doctor said, " and Lily too, I suppose. Time Lords always do. It's a ... thing we can do. "

" But hold on," Martha said slowly as she looked around and her eyes fixed on a wall full of posters.

Lily followed her gaze and saw that the posters were for the election - they were Saxon posters, and she vaguely remembered being in Martha's room just before the Lazarus thing, and seeing Harold Saxon on the tv. Lily remembered telling Martha that Saxon was hot ( because she thought he was) and that she'd have to be back in time for the election, because she needed to vote for the hot guy.

A thought occured to her but she dismissed it at once.

" We missed the election," Martha said, " and if he could be anyone ... "

The Doctor pointed towards a large tv screen on the side of a building. He walked towards it slowly, looking up, and the others followed equally slowly, each telling themselves it couldn't be true.

A newsreader was speaking, " Mr Saxon has returned from the palace and is greeting the crowd inside Saxon headquarters. "

The screen then showed Harold Saxon walking down the stairs with an entourage around him, a pretty blonde woman at his side.

" I said I knew that voice," Martha said, " when he spoke inside the TARDIS. I've heard that voice hundreds of times. I've seen him. We all have. That was the voice of Harold Saxon. "

Lily could feel a voice inside her head telling her exactly who Harold Saxon was she and let out a low groan, " Oh god," she said , " why does the hot guy have to be evil? "

She'd only said it quietly, but Jack's head snapped to the side as he looked at her, not impressed. " So you'd rather have that guy than me? " he asked, annoyed, letting go of her hand.

" Don't be stupid," said Lily said, feeling instantly guilty, though she told herself she could think what she wanted. Some people _were _hot. Just because she had a boyfriend, the best on earth, didn't mean she couldn't look. Only problem was, he was an evil time lord. She grabbed Jack's arm and he didn't look at her, though he took her hand again, so she knew he wasn't that bothered.

" That's him," the Doctor said, " He's the Prime Minister. The Master is the Prime Minister of great Britain. "

Lily frowned - that was just trouble. He could cause all sorts of chaos if he had that position of responsibility. Then on the screen they watched as the Master kissed the woman next to him.

" The Master and his _wife," _the Doctor said in disbelief.

It was out of her mouth before she could stop it, " Damn, the hot evil guy's married."

Jack dropped her hand again and pointed a finger at her, " You make _one _more comment like that," he said, " and I'll see you in another 138 years. "

" So you're the only one allowed to be jealous? " Lily asked, raising her eyebrows at him, knowing full well that he wasn't as angry as he seemed - he was just giving empty threats..

" Honeymoon's over," the Doctor said, shaking his head at the pair of them, " and I think we've got slightly more important things to worry about. "

Lily bit her lip. She muttered an apology - she didn't want the man. She had Jack and Jack was all she'd ever need, even if the other man was good looking. But she told herself he was the Master - the evil man from the dad's stories - the man who was dangerous and could damage her if he wanted to. No, that would be the last time she thought of him in a positive light. It didn't matter how good looking he was - firstly, he wasn't Jack, and secondly, he was the Master.

On the screen, they watched Saxon step forwards to adress the press, " This country has been sick. This country needs healing. This country needs medicine. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that what this country needs right now ... is a Doctor. "

The Saxon report went away and the Doctor turned to the others, " We need to find out exactly what he's being doing," he said, " we need to .... I don't know ... we just need to do something! "

" Come on," Martha said, " how about we go to my place? "

The Doctor nodded silently and Martha started down the street since they weren't far from where she lived. As the others began to walk, the Doctor fell into step with Martha, and Lily threw a glance at Jack.

" He's not you," she said.

Jack looked at her, suprised, and then frowned, " You what? "

" Saxon ... the Master ... whatever," she said, staring at the ground as they walked. " All I want is you. I've spent what feels like forever wanting you, and no-one else would ever come close. Even when I thought you were dead ... I knew I'd never want anyone else. "

" Do you want to know a secret? " asked Jack, turning to look at her profile as they passed a group of unruly teenage boys.

" What? " Lily asked, tearing her gaze from the ground and meeting his eyes.

" You're perfect," he told her, " nothing you could do, nothing you could say, could _ever _make me get seperated from you again. Hell, you could even kill me and I'll come right back to life. I wouldn't be too happy, mind you, but I'd be back. "

She smiled at him, " I'm not perfect," she said, shaking her head.

" You are," he replied reaching out and fixing his arm around her waist, where it fitted perfectly, " and what's more, you're mine. "

" Forever? " Lily asked, looking up at him and wishing she wasn't quite so short. She stood at five feet and five inches which might not have seemed so short if Jack didn't stand so tall and proud.

Jack leant down and planted a kiss on her cheek, " You already know the answer to that one. "

" Will you promise me something, Jack? " she asked, smiling at the way his lips felt against her skin, " promise me you'll never stop being so ... you. "

Jack rolled his eyes. He loved her even if she talked a load of rubbish sometimes. In fact, he loved her even more because of the random things she came out with. " So ... me? " he asked.

" Yeah, you know," Lily nodded, " just ... you. "

" I think I can manage that," he said with a smirk.

They'd now reached the door to Martha's flat, and she let them in and led them upstairs to her flat, which was a small blue room. They went through to her bedroom, where Martha sat on her desk, the Doctor sat on the edge of her bed, Jack on the nearest chair and Lily leaning against one wall.

They looked at each other, not sure about what they were going to do next.

Martha smiled as she looked around the room, " Here - home. "

" What have you got? " the Doctor asked as Jack pulled out his phone and tried to make a call," computer, laptop, anything? Jack! Who are you phoning? You can't tell anyone we're here! "

Jack shook his head as he tossed the phone aside, " Some friends of mine, but there's no reply. "

Martha pointed to a laptop on the desk and Jack took it, putting it on his knee as the other gathered around, " I can show you the Saxon websites, Doctor. He's been around for ages. "

Since they both lived in this time, Jack and Martha knew about Harold Saxon, though Lily and the Doctor didn't. Lily bit her lip as she watched Jack at work on the laptop.

" That's so weird," said Martha, shaking her head, " it's the day after the election. That's four days after I met you two. Only four days. "

The Doctor sighed, hit by the irony of it, " We went flying all around the universe, and the whole time he was here. "

" Are you going to tell us who he is? " Martha asked.

" He's bad news, isn't he dad? " Lily asked. She'd heard the stories, and she was dreading meeting him now, after the passing comment he'd made from inside the TARDIS. The words chilled her - _can't wait to meet this daughter of yours. I look forward to getting better aquainted with her._

" He's a Time Lord," the Doctor said.

" What about the rest of it? " asked Martha, pressing to know more, " I mena, who'd call himself the Master? "

" That's all you need to know," the Doctor simply replied, " Jack, show us Harold Saxon. "

As Lily and the Doctor edged towards the laptop, standing by Jack, Martha pressed the button on her answering machine, and found that she had one message. Her sister's voice filled the room, " Martha, where are you? I've got this new job! You won't believe it. It's wierd, they just phoned me up out of the blue. I'm working for -"

Martha groaned and shut the machine off muttering, " Like it matters. "

" Here! " Jack announced triumphantly, distrating Lily from where she'd been studying Jack's face, reminding herself of all the little things she loved about him.

They were on Saxon's website and there was a video of several well known faces trying to get people to vote for the man. Lily recognised Ann Widdecombe, the band McFly and some Sharon something ... she racked her brain. Sharon Osbourne.

When they'd watched it - not that it had told them much - they were scrolling through a biography on the page.

" Former Minister of Defence," Jack told Lily and the Doctor, since Martha already knew, " first came to prominence when he shot down the Racnoss on Christmas Eve. "

" Goes back years," Martha aid, joining them at the laptop and looking over the biography, " he's famous. Everyone knows his story. Look - Cambridge University, Rugby Blue, won the Athletics thing, wrote a novel, went in business, marriage, everything. He's got a whole life. "

" He .... he can't have," Lily said, shaking her head.

" Lies," the Doctor said, " all made up. All of it lies. "

" It might not be," Jack pointed out, putting the laptop aside on the desk, " he's got a TARDIS. Maybe he went back in time and has been living here for a few decades. "

" No," the Doctor said, sitting on the desk.

" Why not? " Jack challenged, " worked for me. "

" No," the Doctor repeated, " when he was stealing the TARIS, the only thing I could do was fuse the co-ordinates. I locked them permanently. He can only travel between the year 100 trillion and the last place the TARDIS landed, which is right here right now. "

" But, a little leeway? " Jack asked, raising his eyebrows.

" Wel ... 18 months," the Doctor said, shrugging, "the most he could have been here is 18 months, so how has he managed all of this? He's ... he's Prime Minister for God's sakes. The Master was always hypnotic ... good with the psychic stuff ... but this is a massive scale. "

They fell into a silence whilst each of them considered it, and Lily felt a hand at her hip, then another on the other side. She turned in time to realise they were Jack's hands, as he was still sitting down, and before she could say anything else, he'd pulled her backwards gently and guided her to his lap.

She smiled despite the serious situation as one of his hands rested on her back and she perched on the edge of his knee.

" I was gonna vote for him," Martha said, cutting through the quiet.

" Really? " the Doctor asked.

" Well, it was before I even met you, and I liked him," Martha said.

" Me too," Jack agreed.

" Hell, _I _would have voted for him if Earth gave me the vote," said Lily quietly.

The Doctor just looked between Martha and Jack, " Why do you say that? What was his policy? What did he stand for? "

" I don't know," Martha said, starting to tap her fingers against the desk, as lily frowned and her eyes were drawn to the tapping, " He always sounded good. Like you could trust him. Just nice. He spoke about ... I can't really remember but it was good. Just the sound of his voice. "

" What's that? " asked the Doctor suddenly, noticing what Lily had caught too.

" What? " Martha asked, startled as she came out of her little daze.

" That! " the Doctor said, pointing at her hands, " that tapping thing! That rhythm - what are you doing? "

" I dunno," Martha said, her hand stopping, " It's nothing. I just - I dunno! "

The laptop made a noise and Lily leaned backwards to look at it, leaning too far and almost falling off his lap. Jack smirked and lazily grabbed her arms and pulled him towards her again before she could fall. She turned away and looked at the laptop, where the words " Saxon Brodcast All Channels. "

The Doctor grabbed the tv remote which was lying next to him, and pressed the power button, as they all looked at the tv with anticipation.

" Our Lord and Master is speaking to his Kingdom," the Doctor said sarcastically as they saw the Master sitting in front of an ornate fireplace in the Cabinet room.

" Britain, Britain, Britain," he said, Lily wincing at his voice and thinking of how he'd stolen their home and threatened them, and now here he was as Prime Minister, " what extraordinary times we've had. Just a few years ago, this world was so small. And then they came, out of the unknown, falling from the skies. You've seen it happen. Big Ben destroyed, a spaceship over London, all those ghosts and metal men, the Christmas star that came to kill. "

Lily frowned, wondering what his game was now.

The Master in his Saxon guise continued, " Time and time again the government told you nothing. Well not me. Not Harold Saxon. Because my purpose here today is to tell you this, citizens of Great Britain, I have been contacted. A message, for humanity, from beyond the stars. "

A short video clip then played, a small sphere hanging in the air, speaking with a female voice. Lily watched it in suprise, narrowing her eyes and she wondered what if was. It spoke with a dreamy little voice, " People of Earth, we come in peace. We bring great gifts. We being technology, wisdom and protection. All we ask in return is friendship. "

The screen returned to the Master, " Ooh, sweet. And the species has identified itself. They're called the Toclafane. "

" What?! " the Doctor demanded.

Lily had never heard of the Toclafane, though there were lots of things she hadn't encountered before, not having the same experience as her father. When she glanced at him, and he looked completely stunned, she gathered he'd never heard of them either.

" And tomorrow morning they will appear," the Master on the tv announced, " Not in secret, but to all of you. Diplomatic relations with a new world will begin. Tomorrow, we take our place in the universe. Every man, every women, every child. Every teacher, every chemist and lorry driver and farmer. " He smirked, " every .. oh ... I don't know ... medical student? "

Lily whipped around to look at Martha at the same time that the Doctor grabbed the television and spun it around.

" Bomb! " he shouted.

Then they were running. Lily bolted from the room first and the others were right behind her. Lily cursed under her breath, wondering how the hell he knew where they were. They'd all just gotten onto the street when the front window of Martha's house exploded.

The glass and the flames shot right out into the street, Lily put her head down to avoid any of it getting near her. When she looked up, the Doctor was right in front of her. He put a hand to his daughter's shoulder as he looked her up and down

" You're alright? " he asked.

She nodded, and then he turned to check Jack and Martha were both alright.

When Lily turned to see Martha, she was on her mobile, frantically muttering for the person to pick up.

" What are you doing? " the Doctor asked.

" He knows about me," Martha said, shooting him a glare, " what about my family? "

" Don't tell them anything! " the Doctor said, shaking his head.

" I'll do what I like," Martha said, annoyed as she prayed for her mother to pick up. Lily watched with wide eyes and shook her head, thoughts flying through her head, " Martha, you can't tell them anything," she said, " if they know about you, then the chances are he's got people watching your family. "

" They're my family! " Martha snapped at Lily, " I've got to know they're alright, why can't you understand that? "

Lily was about to retaliate, but was stopped by Jack's arm sliding around her waist and pulling her close, " Behave," he whispered, his lips brushing her ear before he kissed her cheek. Lily sighed but said nothing, allowing him to keep a hold on her.

Martha seemed to be having some luck getting through to her family, " Mum? Oh God, you're there. "

Jack, the Doctor and Lily were now listening to half of a conversation - Martha's side. " I'm fine ... I'm fine," she was telling her mother, " Mum, has there been anyone asking about me? .... I can't! Not now! .... Don't be so daft! Since when? .... You said you'd never get back with him in a million years .... Dad, what are you there? .... Dad? Just say yes or no. Is there someone else there? "

Lily and the Doctor exchanged looks, and Lily could tell they were both thinking the same thing ... someone was with Martha's parents.

" Dad? " Martha shouted, " what's going on? Dad! "

Martha looked at the phone, and Lily assumed the call was over.

" I've got to help them! " Martha said, rushing for her car, while the others watched her in a panic.

" That's exactly what they want! " the Doctor protested, " it's a trap! "

" I don't care! " Martha said, doing what she wanted and yanked the door open. The Doctor knew better than to argue and got in the passenger seat, leaving Lily and Jack to climb into the back.

Martha drove down the road recklessly, not caring about anything else, she just wanted to get to her parents. None of them were wearing seatbelts, and Martha's driving threw them all over. All that went through Lily's mind was what was going to happen next, and how the hell they were going to defeat the Master.

Martha had her phone on speakerphone and was calling her sister, to check she was safe.

Tish's voice filled the car, " Martha, I can't talk right now. We just made first contact. Did you see - what are doing?! " she suddenly shouted, apparently at someone else, " Get off! Linda, tell them! "

" What's happening? " Martha cried out, narrowly avoiding another car as she swerved, " Tish! "

They'd lost connection with Tish, and Martha glanced at the Doctor, " This is all your fault," she told him.

Lily scowled. She wanted to point out that it was technically Martha's fault, since she was the one who made him as Yana interested in the watch, and want to open it. Lily resented Martha's blaming the Doctor, as she was protective of her dad, but she let it go because she knew Martha was worried about her parents. She supposed she could understand, since she knew she'd do anything if _her _dad was in trouble.

They rounded and corner on the street where Clive and Francine lived, to see that there were armed officials outside the house, restraining Clive and Francine, ready to take them away.

" Reverse! " the Doctor shouted as the police took arms, aiming towards them.

" Get out now! "Jack bellowed as Martha did as she was told and started to make a hasty retreat

They were taking off the street and could hear the police shouting loudly. Jack turned around to look out of the back window and his eyes widened, " Lily! " he shouted, though she was only sitting next to him, " get down! "

Lily put her head down quickly, closing her eyes tightly, as the back window shattered from a bullet.

" Listen to me," Jack said urgently, " we've got to get out of here. Pull over - right now! "

Almost immediately, they were around a corner and Martha stopped the car, all four of them barrelling out. Right away, Martha was on her phone again, holding it in front of her, as it was still on speakerphone.

She made a quick phone call to tell her brother - who was in Brighton with his girlfriend, and Martha wanted him to stay there. They were all shocked when Saxon's voice came across the loud phone, for them all to hear. " Been a long time since we've seen each other Martha Jones. Must be ... oooh ... 100 trillion years? "

" Let them go Saxon! " Martha demanded, shaken up, " do you hear me? Leave them alone! "

The Doctor looked around at his daughter, Martha and Jack and shook his head at them, saying quietly, " Don't say anything, just let me talk. "

He took the phone from Martha but the others could still hear everything going on.

" I'm here," the Doctor said.

" Doctor," the Master acknowledged.

" Master," the Doctor said, a little reluctantly.

" I like it when you use my name," the Master said, and Lily could just imagine a smirk on his face. He seemed like that sort of man, she thought.

" You chose it," the Doctor pointed out, " Psychiatrist's field day. " Lily had never gotten to choose her own name because the war came and distraced from the Gallifrey schooling. Everything was destroyed sometimes between looking into the Schism at 8 years old, and choosing a name, at 16 years old.

" As you chose yours," the Master replied, mocking him, " the man who saves people. How sanctimonious is that? "

" So ... " the Doctor said as he and the others walked down the street quickly, " Prime Minister ... who are those creatures? Cause there's no such thing as Toclafane. It's just a made up name lie the bogeyman. "

" Do you remember all those fairytales about the Toclafane when we were kids? Back home. Where is it, Doctor? "

Lily hated the idea of her father and this evil man going to school together, possibly growing up together, knowing each other for such a long time. But as always, she was curious about Gallifrey.

" Gone," the Doctor said.

" How can it be gone? " the Master asked, sounding suprised.

" It burnt," the Doctor said, a lump evident in his throat before he swallowed it. Lily wanted to hug him when she saw him like that, but now really wasn't the moment.

" And the Time Lords? " he asked.

" Dead," the Doctor replied simply, " and the Daleks ... more or less. "

Lily's eyes narrowed at the mention of the Daleks ... Daleks were everything that was bad in her life. Taking away Gallifrey, her mother, the time lords, and then years later Jack, and Rose.

" The Time Lords ressurected me," the Master said, " but only because they knew I'd be the perfect warrior for a Time War. I was there when the Emperor Dalek took control of the Cruciform. I saw it and I ran. Ran so far. Made myself human so they would never find me ... because I was so scared. " He sniffed, " but ... all of them? And now you, which must mean ... "

" I was the only one who could end it," said the Doctor, " and I tried. I tried everything. "

" What did it feel like though? " the Master goaded, " two almighty civilisations burning. " He laughed and Lily wanted to hit the man, " Oh, tell me, how did it feel? "

She sighed and shifted closer to her Dad, snapping in the direction of the phone, " Don't you ever just _shut up? _"

" Ah," the Master said, sounding truly pleased. Lily would have stayed out of it, but something in her snapped when she thought of the way he was treating her dad, and how he was just so ... he just made her want to scream. He chucked, " That'll be your daughter then, Doctor? "

The Doctor shot Lily a look that told her to back off and leave it to him, but she didn't obey. She was the last female time lord, and she'd grown up thinking there were two time lords in universe. Now there was one more, and she felt she was every right to be a part of it as her dad did.

" Well? " the Master asked, " you'll have to remind me what your name is, sweetcheeks. "

The Doctor shot his daughter an annoyed look and told the Master, " You don't talk to her. "

" Oh, do you have to spoil my fun? " the Master asked, a sneer is his voice " having a human wife is all very well and good but it won't hurt to have someone else around. So what if she's with someone else - I can easily ... find some way to take care of that. "

" Leave her out of it," the Doctor said, " she's just a child," he said, though Lily frowned - she knew she was young compared to how long time lords could live, but she wan't a kid.

" All evidence to the contrary," the Master said, " she might be _your _child, but she's no little girl, is she? "

" Stop it! " the Doctor snapped, while Jack hissed quietly, looking like he wanted to snap Saxon's neck in two - no-one was allowed to talk that way about his girl. Jack fixed an arm around her shoulders and pulled her away from the Doctor, so she couldn't retaliate towards the Master - not that she wanted to - she was too scared now.

" Very well," the Master sighed, " there's always later, I suppose. Now tell me - Gallifrey, and only you to stop it. You must have felt like God. "

" I've been alone ever since," the Doctor said, " there's Lily, but she wasn't around in Gallifrey's glory days. Don't you see? " he sounded desperate, pleading, " all we've got is each other. "

" Are you asking me out on a date? " the Master mocked.

" You could stop this right now," the Doctor said, shaking his head, " we could fight across the universe if you wanted, but not on Earth. "

" Too late. "

" Why do you say that? " the Doctor asked, Lily thinking the same thing, though she knew she'd better not say anything to the Master again.

" The drumming," was the evil man's answer, as he started to tap his fingers on the desk, " I thought it would stop, but it never does. Never ever stops. Inside my head. The constant drumming. "

" I could help you. Please let me help," the Doctor sighed.

" It's everywhere," Saxon said, " listen, listen, listen. Here come the drums. Here come the drums. "

Lily looked around and realised that what the Master was tapping was the same thing she'd seen a handful of others tapping since they got here. She was torn back to the situation when the Doctor demanded, " What have you done? Tell me how you've done this - what are those creatures? Tell me! "

They heard the Master's laugh through the phone, " Ooh look, you're on tv. "

They stopped and looked at each other in confusion, and they realised they were standing outside a shop. Lily looked through the window, as did the others, to see that a television was on inside the shop.

A news report showed pictures of the four of them, while a newsreader told the audience they were criminals, armed and dangerous.

" Your'e public enemies one, two, three and four," the Master told them, " Oh, and you can tell handsome Jack that I've sent his little gang off to the Himalayas so he won't be getting any help from them. Now, go on, off you go. Why not start by turning right? "

Lily looked up to see Jack frowning, thinking of his team. She vaguely wondered what his team were like, but there would be plenty of time to talk about that later. They were more concerned with the Master's last comment.

" He can see us," the Doctor said simply, looking around for CCTV cameras.

" He's got control of everything," Lily said, biting down on her lip.

" What do we do? " Martha asked quickly.

" We've got nowhere to go," Jack pointed out.

" Doctor, what do we do?! " a panicked Martha asked.

" Run for your life Doctor! " the Master cackled through the phone.

" We run," the Doctor said, hanging up the phone and tossing it back to Martha before they started running down a nearby shopping arcade. They just kept on running until they were on the outskirts of the town.

They eventually came to an empty warehouse and decided that would be good enough for now, while they stopped to think. They headed inside, and Martha said she wanted to go off and get some food. Despite the Doctor's protests, they needed food, so he let Martha go off.

The other three walked into the warehouse, and stood in the middle of an empty room.

" This is what it's come to," Lily said, hands on her hips as she looked around sadly, " we're homeless ... wanted as criminals ... can't go anywhere ... stupid Master's going to find us and ... and ... and ... " she trailed off, looking close to tears and unable to finish.

Jack was about to try and comfort her, but the Doctor got there first, wrapping his arms around his daughter as she buried herself against his chest. She knew that as much as she loved and needed Jack, she really needed her dad too. Sometimes there was nothing like a hug from her dad.

She buried her face against him, and gripped the front of his jacket tightly, fistfuls of the material in her hands as she clung to him. He sighed - whenever she was scared or needed comfort as a child, she'd cling to him just like that, curling her hands into his clothes - she'd always been a daddy's girl. Now she was older, when she started to cling to him in the same way, he knew she was very scared.

" Shh," he said, rubbing her back gently as he rested his chin on the top of her head.

" What's going to happen, Dad? " she asked him, voice muffled by his clothes, " when ... because he will ... when the Master gets hold of us ... these little things he keeps saying ... what's he going to do to me? "

The Doctor's face was deadly serious as his daughter clung to him. He too was worried for her safety, but he was determined nothing would happen to her. " Nothing," he replied.

" But - " she started, voice still muffled.

" Nothing," the Doctor repeated, kissing her forehead and then holding her that bit tighter, " he can't come anywhere near you, because you've got me, and you've got Jack, you hear me? "

When she didn't reply, he broke away a little, putting his thumb and finger under her chin and tilting her head up to look at him, " Right," he said, looking her in the eye, " nothing's gonna harm you - not while I'm around. "

She loosened her grip on him a little, looking up at him with wide eyes, " But what if something happens, and you're not around? What if - "

The Doctor gave his daughter a slight smile, cutting her off, " It's my job to look after you, and I damn well intend to do it properly. "

She just nodded silently, feeling a little better due to his words, but still worried and quite honestly, terrified about what was to come. The Doctor leaned down and pressed his lips to Lily's forehead again, closing his eyes as he kept them there for a moment before lifting his head up.

She sighed and let go of the front of his jacket, while he dropped his arms from around her.

The Doctor then opened up Martha's laptop and pulled his glasses out of his pocket. Lily watched him, thinking of how easily he slipped between being a father and being saviour of the universe.

As she stood in silence, watching him, Jack stepped closer to her.

" He's right, you know," he said, with a nod towards the Doctor, hwilst the Doctor pretended that he wasn't listening.

" Yeah? " Lily asked, looking at Jack with those eyes which he always thought were too expressive - they always made him want to smile at her.

" Yeah," he confirmed, " nothing's going to happen to you. "

There was a pause before she nodded, " Yeah. No, you're right. He's just one man ... he ... it can't be that hard to stop him. " That wasn't exactly how she felt, but she just thought that if she thought more positive, things might turn out more positive.

Jack smiled at her, " That's more like it," he nodded.

Jack's vortex manipulator beeped and he pulled back his sleeve, grinning at it, " This is brilliant," he said, " this thing working again ... ha! I'll have to get used to this. "

He stepped away from Lily, and sat down cross legged on the ground, looking at his manipulator and tapping away the some of the buttons there. Lily watched him for a second, got bored and glanced at her dad, who was tapping away at the laptop. She rolled her eyes.

" Well this is interesting," she said, folding her arms.

"Don't be like that, baby," Jack grinned, " and by the way, what happened to that old purple jacket of yours. Not that I'm against the trenchcoat but it's ... new. "

Lily shrugged, " I like it. It moves all over the place when I run. " She didn't mention that she'd started wearing it when he left her and she thought he was dead, because it reminded her ot his coat. Since then she'd grown attached.

" And there's always lots of running," the Doctor said, looking over his shoulder and giving Lily a quick grin.

There were footsteps from the other side of the large room, and the three of them exchanged the same horrified looks, bracing themselves to have to run away, or fight whatever came to them.

Lily smiled with a little relief when Martha came into view, carrying a white carrier bg.

" Here we are," she said, " take away. "

" That was quick," Lily said.

Martha smiled, coming to join them, " Yeah well, there was a fish and chip shop not too far away, so I snuck into the kitchens and stole some food, since we're wanted. Hmm, get me ... stealing food. Look what you've turned me into Doctor. "

" How was it? " asked Jack, looking up from his manipulator.

" I don't think anyone saw me. Anything new? " she asked, handing food around to them, which was wrapped in white paper. Lily took a bag of chips from her and sat down on the floor beside Jack, putting the chips on her knee

" I've got this thing tuned into the government wavelength so we can follow what Saxon's doing," Jack said.

" Nice," Lily nodded, peering at Jack's wrist whilst popping a chip into her mouth

" I meant about my family," Martha said, sounding none too happy.

The Doctor motioned towards the laptop, " It still says the Jones family taken in for questioning. Tell you what though, no mention of Leo. "

Martha smiled a little, " He's not as daft as he looks. " She paused and then shook herself a little, " I'm talking about my brother on the run. How did this happen? "

Jack reached over and took a chip from the bundle on Lily's lap, nodding in appreciation, " Nice chips. "

" Hmm," the Doctor agreed, popping one of his own into his mouth, " they're not bad. "

Martha sat down and looked at Jack and Lily, before giving them both a nod - they'd all agreed whilst running from the streets to the warehouse, that they needed to know more about who the master was. Lily knew bit, but not enough to tell Jack and Martha. Jack looked over at the Doctor.

" So," he said, " who is he? How come the ancient society of Time Lords created a psycopath? "

" And what is he to you? " asked Martha, " like a collegue or something? "

" A friend at first," said the Doctor, suprising them all by giving a direct answer.

Martha looked at the Doctor and Lily noted that she looked a little relieved, " I thought you were gonna say he was your secret brother, or something. "

Both the Doctor, Jack and Lily stared at Martha as though she were mad.

" You've been watching too much television," the Doctor told her.

" And thank God," Lily scoffed, " imagine having _him _as an uncle. Ugh. I don't think the birthday presents would have been up to much. "

" We don't celebrate birthdays," the Doctor pointed out, " since we're not even sure when your birthday is ... time's all over the place with us, after all. "

Lily shrugged, " You know what I mean.... just saying I'm glad he's not your secret brother. "

Jack turned back to the Doctor, taking another chip, " But the legends of Gallifrey made it sound so perfect. "

" Well, perfect to look at maybe," the Doctor said, lost in thoughts of his homeland, " and it was. It was beautiful. They used to call it the Shining World of the Seven Systems. And on the continent of Wild Endevour, in the Mountains of Solace and Solitude, there stood the Citadel of the Time Lords. The oldest and most mighty race in the universe ... looking down on the galaxies below ... sworn never to interfere ... only to watch ... "

Lily wanted to laugh at this one - all she and her dad ever did was go around and interfere.

The Doctor continued, telling parts that Lily already knew, " Children of Gallifrey are entered into the Academy at eight years old. And some say that's when it all began. When he was a child ... that's when the Master saw eternity ... as a novice, he was taken for initiation. It's a gap in the fabric of reality through which could be seen the whole of the vortex. You stand there, eight years old, staring at the raw power of time and space, just a child. Some would be inspired, some would run away, and some would go mad. "

" What about you? " Martha asked the Doctor

" Oh, the ones that ran away," the Doctor said, mouth full with food, " I ran, and only stopped when I had my wife and daughter. Then it was just two of us, and ... I never stopped running. "

" And you? " Martha asked Lily, as Lily started to recall her eight year old self.

" Like father like daughter," she simply replied with a shrug.

Jack's manipulator beeped and he looked down at it, " Encrypted channel with files attached. Don't recognise it. "

" Patch it through to the laptop," the Doctor said, moving to the laptop again.

Jack cleared his throat, " Listen, since we're telling stories, there's something I haven't told you, Doctor. "

A logo appeared on the screen of the laptop from where Jack had sent his files through and the Doctor stared at it as if he couldn't believe what he was looking at. Lily shrugged - she and Jack had already had this conversation.

" You work for Torchwood," the Doctor said, accusingly.

" I swear to you, it's different," Jack said, " it's changed. There's only half a dozen of us now. "

" Everything Torchwood did and you're part of it?! " the Doctor demanded, wheeling around, " Lily, have you heard this? He works for - "

Lily held up her hand to silence him, " I know! " she said, " I already knew, alright? And it doesn't bother me. "

" How did you know? " the Doctor asked, confused.

" That doesn't matter," Jack said, " but you have to know that the old regime was destroyed at Canary Wharf. I rebuilt it, I changed it. And I did it in Lily's honour, for her. And for you a little, I suppose. "

The Doctor simply glared at him and turned back to the laptop, though Lily gave him a smile, pleased he'd tried to stand up to her dad.

He opened the file and the others watched from where they sat on the ground. On the laptop, a middle aged blonde woman appeared, looking deadly serious.

" If," she said, " I haven't returned to my desk by 2200 hours, this file will be emailed to Torchwood. Which means, if you're watching this then I'm.... Anyway, the Saxon Files are attached. But take a look at the Archangel document. That's when it all started. When Harry Saxon became minister in charge of launching the Archangel network. "

" What's the Archangel network? " the Doctor asked as a graphic of a spinning Earth surrounded by satellites appeared.

" You got me," Lily shrugged.

Martha on the other hand, pulled out her phone, " I've got Archangel. Everyone's got it. "

" It's the mobile phone network," Jack nodded, " cause look, it's gone worldwide. They've got 15 satellites in orbit. Even the other networks, they're all carried by Archangel. "

The Doctor took Martha's phone from her and pulled out his sonic screwdriver. He nodded, " It's in the phones! Ooh, I said he was a hypnotist. Wait, wait, wait, hold on," he banged it against the table and it started beeping a little rhythm, " there it is. "

" That same rhythm," Lily said, technical mind taking over - the more she watched him do things, the better she got a working things out, " it's everywhere. Ticking away into the subconsious."

" What is it, mind control? " Martha asked.

Lily shook her head, " Not quite. "

The Doctor looked like he was about to talk, but Lily bit her lip and then glanced at him, " I've got this one," she told him, while he looked on, a little suprised, but then with a proud smile.

She turned back to Martha and Jack continuing, " Subtler than mind control. Any stronger people would question it. But contained in that rhythm, in layers of code .... Vote Saxon. It's like saying Believe in Me. To the whole world. " She stopped and then snapped her fingers, " that's it! Ha! That's how he hid himself. Cause if I'm right ... which I will be ... me and dad should have sensed that there was another Time Lord. Should have known way back. But the signal cancelled him out. "

" Can it be stopped? " Jack asked.

Lily shrugged, " No, it's too far gone for that. But at least we know what he's doing. "

" And we can fight it," the Doctor nodded.

Lily turned to him to see that he'd been taking the laptop and the mobile phone apart as she was talking and was using the sonic screwdriver to weld parts of them to his TARDIS key.

" Key," he said, holding his hand out to Martha and Lily.

Martha handed hers over and Lily pouted at him, " You're not kicking me out? "

The Doctor just rolled his eyes as he took it from her.

" Have you still got yours? " he then asked Jack.

Jack grinned, pulling it from his pocket, " Like I was ever going to throw the thing out. "

Seconds later, the Doctor had modified them all and tied string around them so they could be worn around the neck.

He looked rather pleased with himself as he said, " Four TARDIS keys, four pieces of the TARDIS with low-level perception properties because the TARDIS is designed to blend in. Well, sort of, but ... now! The Archangel Network's got a second low-level signal. Weld the key to the network and .... Martha. " He took a step backwards, " Look at me, you can see me, yes? "

Martha nodded

" What about now? " he asked, slipping the string around his neck, as Lily thought about how clever that was.

Martha's vision seemed to veer off and she shook her head before looking back at him, blinking a few times. " Wow," she said, " It's like I know you're there, but I don't want to know. "

" And back again," the Doctor said, taking the key off, " see? It just shifts your perception a tiny little bit. Doesn't make us invisible, but unnoticed. " Lily smiled when he snapped his fingers, " Oh, I know what it's like. It's like - it's like when you fancy someone and they don't even know you exist. That's what it's like. Come on. "

With that, he was moving off and Lily followed him. Behind her, she heard Jack and Martha mutter something, though she didn't catch what it was and moments later the four of them were on the street.

The Doctor handed them a key each and told them, " Don't run. Don't shout. Just keep your voices down. If you draw attention to yourself, the spell is broken. Just keep to the shadows. "

" Like ghosts," Jack said.

" Yeah, that's what we are," the Doctor agreed, " we're ghosts. "

They each placed a key around their neck and looked at each other - they could still see each other if they focused - and then set off back into the centre of the town, looking to find Saxon/The Master and find out what to do next.

The Doctor glanced at Lily as they walked, hoping she wouldn't do anything rash. Sometimes she jumped right in there, but he knew deep down that she'd do as he told her to. Usually, if he told her to do something, and the situation was serious, she'd do it

They walked in relative quiet to Saxon's offices, and stopped down the street, fortunate enough to find he and his wife standing outside with the President of the USA.

The Doctor held out a hand, motioning for everyone to stop a little way off, where they were at a safe enough distance. Lily's hearts pounded faster at seeing the Master in the flesh, so close, and Jack's arm closed around her waist protectively, as if he thought the Master was going to come right over and steal Lily away from him.

They couldn't really hear much of the conversation, though they made out the President saying that the Toclafant contact couldn't happen on land, so it would happen at 8am the next morning aboard the aircraft the _Valiant._

They also heard the Master confirming that it would be televised and the whole world would be watching. When Winters left, the Master kissed his wife, and Lily grimaced.

" How can she be with him? " she whispered.

" Maybe she likes him," Jack muttered in response, " after all, you thought he was "hot"" he said, through gritted teeth, " maybe she sees something else in him .... either that or he's got her brainwashed. "

" I'm so glad I've got you," Lily said, leaning over and kissing his cheek quickly, " especially when I consider what could be the alternative. "

Jack's arm tightened.

Their conversation drew to a close when the sound of sirens came wheeling around the corner and a police van drove up, Martha's mother, father and sister forced out by armed police, while the Master laughed at them.

" Oh my god," Martha breathed.

" Don't move," the Doctor said sharply.

" I'm gonna kill him," Martha said, looking like she was having a very, very hard time keeping still, and Lily didn't blame her for one minute.

" Say I use this perception filter to walk up behind him and break his neck? " Jack said menacingly, shocking Lily with the tone of his voice and severity with which he spoke. Her Jack had never been so violent. She felt the arm around her waist tense and she looked up at him, worried.

" Now that sounds like Torchwood," the Doctor growled, sharing Lily's feelings.

" Still sounds like a plan," came Jack's solid reply.

" Killing him isn't the answer, Jack," Lily said, making Jack sigh with the way she said his name so carefully.

" He's a Time Lord," the Doctor agreed, " which make him my responsibility. I'm not here to kill him. I'm here to save him and help him. "

" We need to be aboard the Valiant, right? " Lily said, looking at the others.

Jack moved his arm from around Lily and started working with the manipulator again, " Aircraft carrier Valiant. It's a UNIT ship at 28.2N and 10.02E. "

" Does this thing work as a teleport? " the Doctor asked Jack.

Jack nodded, " Since you revamped it, yeah. " He pressed a few keys and nodded, " co-ordinates set. "

The Doctor nodded and put his hand on top of it, while Lily slipped her hand into Jack's free hand, and Martha grabbed onto the Doctor. Just like before, they were pulled from the earth away, and landed with groans and spinnng heads.

" Oh god," Lily moaned, staggering a little as they all let go of each other, and looking around to see that they were in some sort of engine room.

" God, that thing's rough," Martha said, shaking her head.

" I've had worse nights," Jack said, before throwing a wink at Lily, " wait until I show you some of the nightlife of Cardiff. " He laughed and then looked around, " welcome to the Valiant everyone. "

" It's dawn," Martha said, walking over to one of the portholes at the edge of the room, and frowning, " Hold on, I thought this was a ship - where the sea? "

" A ship for the 21st century," Jack nodded, " Protecting the skies of Planet Earth. "

Looking out of the porthole along with Martha, Lily looked along the length of the Valiant - it seemed to be a lare aircraft hanging over the earth, with three long landing strips.

" There's no time for this," the Doctor said, " come on, we need to move. "

Soon they were running again. Running out of the engine rooms, running through the maintainence rooms, running as fast as they could through the aircraft. The Doctor suddenly stopped and Lily sighed.

" Dad! We need to move! "

" No, no," he said, shaking his head, " wait, wait, wait. Can't you hear it? "

Lily stopped to listen, and then she nodded, a slow smile crossing her face, though Martha and Jack couldn't hear it.

" Hear what? " Jack asked.

" We don't have time for this," Martha said urgently, " my family's on board. "

" Brilliant," the Doctor nodding, turning in a completely different direction and following the sound of his ship, " let's go! " He grabbed Lily's forearm and dragged her down the corridors as they ran, the others following, until they stopped in front of a set of double doors.

The Doctor threw them open and revealed the TARDIS.

" Oh, at last! " the Doctor grinned.

" Home sweet home," Lily said, with a matching smile.

" Oh yes," Martha nodded.

" What's it doing up here? " Jack asked, as the Doctor opened the blue doors and stepped inside. Lily and the others followed, but Lily stopped dead when she saw the state of the control room.

It's warm air was gone, and now it was a deep red - it looked ill. The console had been almost stripped and bits of it were all caged off.

" What the hell's he done? " Lily demanded, " this is ... this is _our_ TARDIS. This is our home! "

" Don't touch it," the Doctor warned, looking around at her.

Lily just nodded and then Martha sighed, " What's going on? Sounds like it's sick ... "

The Doctor walked forwards and Lily watched him move around it. Like her dad, she was disgusted by what the Master had done to it, and both felt it didn't even look like their's anymore.

" It can't be," the Doctor said, shaking his head, " no, no, no, no, no. It can't be. "

" What is it? " asked Martha shocked.

Lily bit her lip, " He's cannabilised the TARDIS. He's .... he's killing her. "

" Is this what I think it is? " Jack asked

The Doctor looked completely shocked, " It's a paradox machine. " He moved forwards and examined the console, looking around at it and shaking his head, inspecting something. He pointed at it, " As soon as this hits red, it activates. At this speed, it'll trigger. At .... two minutes past eight. "

Jack stared at it, " First contact is at 8 o clock and then two minutes after ... "

" What's it for? " Martha said, as Lily tried to piece together what exactly it did and thought of it, " what does it do? "

" Can you stop it? " Lily asked, " you can't, can you? "

He shook his head, " You know I can't. Not until I know what it's doing, because one wrong move, and it'll blow up the solar system. "

" Then we've got to get to the Master," Martha said.

" How do we do that? " Jack asked, " there must be a plan. We need to think of a plan. "

The Doctor grinned, " Oh, sorry, didn't I say? I've already got a plan. "

Then they were off again and taking down the corridor, all of them running as fast as they could. They were heading towards the conference room from where the Toclafane's first contact would be televised in front of everyone

When they got to the room, they were still under the spell of the perception filter so they couldn't be really seen. They stood in the doorway and saw that the USA president was making an adress to the population of Earth on the television, while the Master and his wife, and several guards stood around the room.

" For as long as man has looked to the stars, he was wondered what mysteries they hold .... now we know we are now alone," the President said.

" What's the plan? " Jack whispered over Lily's head, as she was standing inbetween them.

" If I can get this," the Doctor said, pointing down at his key, " around the Master's neck, cancel out his perception, they'll see him for real. It's just going to be hard to go unnoticed with everyone on red alert. " He sighed, " If they stop me .... Jack, you've got a key. "

" Yes, sir," Jack nodded.

" I'll get him," Martha vowed.

Lily narrowed her eyes at him, " Dad," she said carefully.

He shook his head at her, " Don't worry about me," he told her, planting a kiss on her cheek carefully, closing his eyes and telling himself everything had to be alright - they needed to be alright, because it was his job to look after Lily, and his job to look after Earth.

Lily wasn't entirely happy but settled for it, turning to watch what was going on around the table.

The President was still talking, " I ask you now, human race, to welcome our friends. I give you the Toclafane. "

Several Toclafane spheres appeared around him and Lily noticed the dangerous smirk on the Master's face and thought that it couldn't be any good.

The President adressed the Toclafane, giving his name and telling them, " I welcome you to Planet Earth and its associated moon. "

" You're not the master," the first sphere said in a deep male voice.

" We like the Mister Master," the second, a tinkling female voice, said, as the spheres bobbed in the air.

" We don't like you," a third said.

The President looked completely thrown, " I ... I can be the Master if you wish. "

" Man is stupid," the female sphere said simply.

" Master is our friend," another said.

" Where's my Master, pretty please? " the first asked.

A laugh cut through the room and Lily couldn't help but think if was an awful sound - the Master's laugh. " Oh alright," he said, standing up, " it's me. Ta-da! Sorry. Sorry. I have this effect. People tend to get obsessed. Is it the smile? Is it the aftershave? Is it the capacity to laugh at myself? Who knows? It's crazy! "

" Saxon! " the President snapped, " what are you talkin' about? "

" I'm taking control, Uncle Sam," the Master said seriously, " Starting with you. " He glanced at the Toclafane and ordered, " Kill him. "

Lily was watching wide eyed as all of this happened. Seeing the Master live in front of them was shocking and the thing that scared her the most was how he was so comical - he had the same odd, funny edge to him that the Doctor and Lily had, but then he was evil too.

One of the Toclafane shot a laser at the President and he disintegrated at once, causing chaos. The other important people gathered in the room started to scream and try to leave, but the guards - who all seemed to be Saxon's men - drew their weapons.

" Nobody move! " the guards shouted, brandishing their guns while Martha, Jack, Lily and the Doctor could only watch under their perception filters, from the edge of the room.

The Master laughed and looked into the camera that the people on Earth would be watching, " Now then," he said, though he didn't get anny further thanks to the Doctor

He rushed forwards, Lily watching him with her fingers on both hands firmly crossed even though she didn't believe in all of the superstition stuff. She prayed he'd be alright, but one of the guards saw him and shouted for others to stop him.

Two guards grabbed him and forced him to kneel on the floor. Lily's hand shot to her mouth and she watched, letting out a small gasp. If they shot him and killed him .... well, he could regenerate, but he only had three reenerations left.

" We meet at last Doctor," the Master sneered, turning around, " oh, how I love saying that. "

" Stop this now! " the Doctor shouted desperately.

" As if a perception filter's going to work on me," the Master scoffed, turning to where the other three where stood, letting them know they hadn't fooled him, " oh look. It's the girlie, the freak and the Doctor's _precious _daughter. "

Jack darted forwards, but the Master's hand shot out and he zapped a laser at Jack, causing him to fall to the ground, dead. Lily watched in horror, even though she knew he wasn't going to be dead for long.

" Laser screwdriver," the Master said, " who'd have sonic? And the good thing is, he'd not dead for long, so I get to kill him again. "

" Don't you dare! " Lily snapped, losing it as she rushed forwards. She wasn't sure what she was planning on doing, but the way he was treating the Doctor, and then Jack, meant she couldn't stand by ... not that acting out help her much.

" Restrain her," the Master said lazily waving a hand in Lily's direction. Two guards approached her, grabbing one of her arms each and flanking her. She sighed, knowing she couldn't struggle against them.

As the guards held her, the Master smirked at her and moved closer slowly, until he stood just in front of her. He looked her up and down and she hated the way he looked at her, though she was powerless to stop it. The guards let go of her as their master stood by her, though they didn't back off.

There was a silence as the Doctor watched, prayed his nemesis wouldn't touch Lily

" We're going to have lots of fun, you and me," the Master said, bringing a hand close to her face. Lily couldn't stand it, and she raised her own hand and slapped his hand away.

She knew it was a mistake, and anger flashed right in his eyes, right in front of her. He glared at her and grabbed her face in one hand roughly, squashing her cheeks together, trying to stare her down.

Then his face relaxed into a smile and he let go of her face, leaning in dangerously close. Her breathing was laboured and she didn't know what to say or do as his lips came closer and closer to her face. She thought he was going to kiss her, but instead his lips hovered by her ear and he whispered.

" I'm going to teach you how to respect your Master. Yes, we'll have fun, you and me," he said, before moving his lips to her cheek and going to kiss her there.

She jerked her head away so he couldn't, but he just shook his head at her, " I'll have you sooner or later," he vowed, before turning away and moving towards the Doctor, leaving Lily standing with the guards again.

She looked around to see that Jack had come back to life, Martha by his side, and he was throwng her concerned looks and the Master looks of death, though she wasn't sure how much he'd seen. She saw Jack give Martha his manipulator and knew he must be telling her to leave.

" If you harm one hair on her head," the Doctor said, kneeling down before the Master and looking up at him with furious eyes.

" Oh, I'll do much more than that," the Master promised.

" If - " the Doctor started, only to be cut off.

The Master had now advanced on the Doctor, " Hmm, how to shut you up? Oh, I know. Memory lane! " He crouched down in front of the Doctor, " Professor Lazarus, remember him? And his genetic manipulation device? Did you think little Tish got the job merely by coincidence? I've been laying traps for you, all this time. And if I can concentrate all that Lazarus energy into one little screwdriver ... oh, if only I had the Doctor's biological code. Oh wait," he sneered, " I have his hand. "

He ran to a silver case, aming his screwdriver at it, " If Lazarus made himself younger, what if I reverse it? Another hundred years? "

He pointed the screwdriver at the Doctor, and Lily gasped as her dad started to writhe and scream in pain, doing into convulsions as he flailed around. She tried to move forwards, but the guards grabbed her arms to stop her.

When it was done, he had the body of a very old man. Martha crawled over to his side, and Lily realised a plan must be forming, since she'd talk to Jack, and now the Doctor

The Master laughed, " Tonight, Martha Jones, we've flown them all the way in ... "

The doors opened and guards forced Francine, Clive and Tish inside the room, to Martha's horror.

" Mum," Martha sobbed, as her mother started sobbing too.

" The Toclafane," the Doctor said urgently, " what are they? "

" If I told you the truth, your hearts would break," the Master simply replied, before checking his watch, " two minutes past. So, Earthlings. Basically ... um, end of the world. Here come the drums! "

He stood by his wife, holding his screwdriver in the air as music started to play.

Lily turned to look through a nearby porthole and saw thousands of Toclafane heading towards the Earth, swarming down one the land, ready to kill. It was probably the most awful thing she'd ever seen and she couldn't bring herself to look.

She turned back to look at the room and saw her dad whispering something in Martha's ear, knowing this was a plan forming. She saw here dad, made so old and weak, and Jack, laying on the ground, where she feared he'd be killed over and over.

As the Master ordered the Toclafane to kill, messages started to pour in from the Earth, desperate messages of panic, and all she could do was stand there, hopeless.

She caught Jack's eye and they just looked at each other, neither of them up to raising a smile. They both knew they weren't going to get out of here any time soon.

As tears started to roll down her cheeks, Jack mouthed across the room at her " I love you. "

She nodded gratefully, appreciating his love for her in such hard times, and how determined he was to make her feel better in a hopeless situation. She mouthed back, " Love you too. "

Lily turned and watched Martha walking away from the Doctor, Jack's manipulator in her hand, ready to teleport. She looked at her family, then at Lily, Jack and finally the Doctor, before teleporting away, leaving Lily to wonder what the plan was.

" You! " the Master shouted, pointing at the guards near the Doctor, " make him stand by the porthole! Make him watch! "

Lily choked on a sob as they grabbed her frail and weak father and the next thing she knew, she was being forced to the window, to watch the destruction of Earth, though she could see nothing past her tears.

The Master only cackled, " And so it came to pass ... that the Human Race fell and the Earth was no more. And I looked down upon my new domination as master of all and I thought it ... good. "

***

**Author's Note: What do we think?**

**Next up, I'm going to write about what happens during the year, because the tv skips from this to one year later so I could fill in a bit of that.**

**What are the reactions to Lily and Jack, and Lily and the Master? That might come in a lot more in the next couple of chapters.**


	16. Aboard the Valiant

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**Author's Note: I know people won't want anything to happen between the Master and Lily, and won't want to read him treating her badly, but I think the Master is so evil, and he treat everyone else so badly on the Valiant (making Martha's family be servants, chaining up and killing Jack, putting the Doctor like a dog, and then in a birdcage) that it only makes sense he'd torture her too. **

**It's hard to write and not nice to read either, so I'll try to do my best, and I won't write too much of the really bad bits.**

**Also, we don't know many details of the Year That Never Was, so I can't write a lot about it, but I'm going to put bits in.**

Chapter Sixteen

Straight after releasing the Toclafane onto the Earth and forcing those aboard the watch, the Master turned around to look at the scene before him. His lovely wife was standing on the bridge, the Doctor stood at the other end of the room looking so helpess, the Doctor's daughter stood there too, then the freak who could never die, and Martha Jones' family. Oh, he had so many plans for them all.

" Well," the Master said, looking around at them all, " what now? What do we do now? " He clicked his tounge and then walked into the middle of the room, " guards, make sure the other people aboard this aircraft are ... disposed of. The Doctor, his daughter, _handsome Jack_, and these three are to sit at the table and wait for me to return. I'm going to think up what happens next .... " he walked over to his wife and offered out his arm, " Lucy, my darling. "

When the Master and his wife left the room, the guards all looked at each other. Some of them left the room in search of the other important people who'd been aboard and tried to flee. Those who were left seemed reluctant to carry out the Master's orders, but it seemed they were too afraid not to.

They pointed guns at the prisoners and made them sit around the table.

Lily felt much better when she was sat between Jack and the Doctor. She let out a deep breath, and tried to remain calm, her hands in her lap, wringing her fingers out nervously.

She jumped a little, too lost her in thoughts, when something touched her hand. When she saw that it was just Jack's hand, she nodded at him and allowed him to take her hand under the table.

" What's going to happen now? " Francine, sitting opposite her, whispered.

" No talking! " one of the guards barked.

Lily wanted to know how long they were going to be here, what Martha's plan was, how they'd take down the Master, but without asking this, there was very little they could do. She was still shaken too, to think properly, from her brief encounter with the Master, and worried about what would happen next. With guards everywhere, he could force them all to do anything.

Lily looked to her left, to find that her dad was already looking at her, pain and concern etched all over his face - for her, for Martha, for himself, for earth, for everything. Lily couldn't bear to see him looking so hurt, and the way he looked so old and frail too.

" What now? " she mouthed at him silently, with a little shrug.

The Doctor looked around to check that none of the guards were watching and leant over to whisper at her. He could impart psychic information, and he hoped to do this now. He raised his hand to her temple, meaning to give her a little information.

As his hand touched her head, the others watched in confusion, the guards not really paying attention, all distracted by what was going on outside, on Earth. Lily closed her eyes as a flash appeared in her mind, and then she could see the Doctor whispering to Martha, and she could hear what he'd told her.

" Use the countdown," she saw him tell Martha quickly, " spread my name across the world, and at the end of the countdown, they'll all think my name. "

He took his hand away because the guards turned to glare at him, and Lily was left frowning as she considered this - the countdown? What countdown? How did he know there was going to be a countdown involved? And how long was this countdown going to be. She frowned deeper - did this mean they were going to stay here until this countdown was over, and then everyone would think the Doctor's name and it would all be over?

This confused her, and when Jack squeezed her hand, she turned to look at him, wondering how much he knew. She wished they could all sit around, talk, and form a plan, but they were powerless. Their only hope was Martha Jones.

She looked at Jack's face, and all she saw was worry. She held his hand tighter and they all resolved to sit in silence, the guards watching them carefully now, having given up on watching the Earth.

The silence seemed to last forever and when the Master came back, he was grinning like a madman.

" Oh, such great plans I've got for everyone," he said, coming to stand at the head of the table and leaning over it, looking at the six of them, " and you lot are going to see all of it. "

" What are you going to do next? " the Doctor asked.

" Glad you asked," the Master nodded, as Lily kept her eyes firmly on the table, not daring to look at him, " The Toclafane have been released on the Earth, and one day, I'm going to go to war with the rest of the universe. "

" It doesn't have to be this way," the Doctor said.

" But it's going to be," the Master said, " and don't you see, Doctor? It's going to be magnificent - I'm going to be the ruler of all! When all my resources are built up - enough rockets, bombs, spaceships, everything - I'm going to war with the universe. "

" When is that? " the Doctor asked.

Lily silently hoped it wouldn't be long. She didn't want to be stuck here for any longer than they were right now, let alone weeks, months, whatever. But she realised it would take Martha a long time to spread tales of the Doctor, for the Master's downfall to come.

" Exactly one year from today," the Master replied promptly.

" One year?! " Lily asked incredulously, without even meaning to, and then wishing she'd stayed silent.

The Master's gaze turned to her and he shrugged, " Yes. 365 days until launch. So don't think you're getting out of here anytime soon. " He looked back at the Doctor, " and as for Martha Jones ... well .... whatever she's doing on Earth, she won't be doing for long. She'll be found and killed. "

There was an awful pause before the Master clapped his hands together, " Anyway, never mind that. I've been thinking about what I can do with the lot of you now. "

Lily tightened her grip on Jack's hand in fear, and she couldn't be holding it much tighter if she tried to, and he rubbed his thumb against the back of her hand lightly, though what he really wanted to do was grab her into a big warm hug and never let her go again.

The Master pointed a finger at Clive, " You'll make a decent enough janitor," he said in a business like manner before moving on to Tish and Francine, " you two can be maids ... of course, I'll find some more appropriate clothes for you. "

The Master then looked at the other side of the table, his eyes crossing the Doctor and Lily slowly, before settling on Jack. " You," he said, " the man who can't die. Which means I get to spend the next year killing you and over again. "

" You just try it," Jack said, his voice dangerously low.

" I will," the Master nodded, " and you won't be able to fight back because I'm going to lock you up. Chain you so you can't move, then kill you as many times as I like. Tell me, how much does it hurt, each time? "

Jack didn't answer.

The Master sighed, " Dear me, that's not good communication, is it? I bet you'd speak if I did something to your _lovely _girlfriend. " He moved from the head of the table and started slowly walking around to where Lily was sitting. She held her breath as he moved, wondering what he was going to do, though she didn't suppose he could do much while she was sitting between Jack and the Doctor, the guards a little way off.

He stopped just behind her chair and she didn't dare turn around, though she could feel him standing there. He laid a hand on her shoulder and she jumped in suprise as the other hand touched her other shoulder. His hands were gentle and they were just resting there, but she hated it, and she saw Jack's jaw set in determination as he turned around to glare at the Master.

" _Don't _touch her," Jack said, letting go of Lily's hand as he stood up and tried to push the Master away. The guards simply grabbed him and forced back into his seat, pressing a gun to his back, though it wouldn't make a difference.

The Master just smirked and put his hands on Lily's shoulders again and she stared straight ahead. She was suprised when his lips touched the top of her head briefly, planting a kiss in her hair before he moved to the head of the table, where everyone could see him again

Lily was suprised by his actions, and had no idea what to do. He'd kissed the top of her head, but it was ... it was suprising gentle. That was possible even more scary than if he'd been violent.

The Master pointed at Jack again and then looked at the guards, " He will be taken to the lower deck of this aircraft and chained up in one of the engine rooms. He'll be chained up, with two guards outside his room, and left there until further notice. "

As guards forced Jack to stand up, the Master looked at Lily, " You," he said, with smirk, " for now, you'll be taken to a spare bedroom and .... " Lily sucked in a breath, waiting for the answer, but he just finished, " left there, until I come to deal with you. "

" Just ... left there? " she asked, not daring to believe it.

The Master nodded, " Yeah. I'm not going to do anything just yet. You can just ... sit in a room. "

Lily didn't believe that that was his only plan, but she left it at that, not wanting anything else to happen. She was expecting torture or abuse or .... but sitting in a room, she could handle.

Guards forced her to stand up too and both she and Jack were dragged towards the door. Lily knew she couldn't struggle, and didn't try, but she stopped to call, " What happens to my dad? "

" Oh, don't worry about him," the Master said with a sadistic smile, " he'll be kept right here for now. Me and him can probably have some interesting conversations - something to keep me entertained. I'll find him a nice little dog collar and a water bowl, don't you worry about it. You dear old dad's in safe hands with me. "

She was about to be taken away when the Master held out a hand, " Wait a minute. " He moved forwards and held out his hand, " pockets," he demanded.

Lily sighed and shrugged out of her jacket, throwing him the entire thing, and giving him a lock, as if to say, " Happy now? "

With a last glance at the Doctor, Lily tried to give him a smile, though she couldn't quite raise one, and then she was dragged into the corridor.

" Alright! " she snapped at the guards, " I've got a pair of perfect working legs. I'm hardly gonna argue with two armed guards, am I? "

They didn't reply, and they let her walk herself down the corridor, though they both stood nearby with their guns. She looked over her shoulder at Jack, who was being taken the other way, and was desperate to run at him and never let go, but the guards forced her turn a corner and then he was out of her sight.

She ended up on the uppermost deck of the Valiant.

" What's up here? " she asked, as they walked down the corridor - there were only a few doors up on this deck.

The two guards looked at each other and then decided to answer - this girl seemed nice enough, and the Master wasn't around to see them talking to the prisoner.

One of them replied, " Just the Master's living quarters and a few spare rooms. "

She sighed. Well that was great, wasn't it? She would be kept up here in a room on her own, where the Master and his wife lived down the hall happily together. Her room was at the end of the corridor and she stood, staring at the wooden door with a little window in the top.

" In there," the guards said

She went into the room and stood there, looking around at it. It was a small room, but not too small. It was quite plain, with beige walls and nothing hanging from them. There was a small bed pushed up against one wall, a little chest of drawers beside it with a lamp ontop and an empty desk at the other side of the room. One the last wall was a door which opened into a bathroom. She sighed - at least she had her own bathroom. It looked very small and cramped, with a shower and a toilet but nothing else.

" You're to stay in here," one of the guards said.

" Alright," she nodded.

" We're locking the door - it has three locks and bolts - you can't get out," the other said.

She nodded, " Fine. "

" You can't escape," the first said.

" Yeah, I gathered," Lily said, exasperated.

" There'll be guards down the corridor," they told her.

" Good for you," Lily said flatly.

The next thing she heard was the door slamming, and the metallic chink of keys in the lock and then a bolt. She stood still for a moment before looking around the room. As bedrooms went, it was small, cramped, and she had nothing to do.

She looked at the desk - empty. No books, no pens, no paper. Nothing to do. Then she pulled out the drawers in the chest and found that each of them were empty too, so she had nothing to do. Still, so long as the Master wasn't around, she could cope.

She went into the bathroom and found a bar of soap, a bottle of shampoo, and a towel. At least she could have a shower is she wanted to, she thought. She went back into the bedroom and sat down on the edge of the bed, with nothing but her own thoughts to occupy her time.

***

Hours passed and nothing had happened. Lily looked at her watch was saw that she'd been sitting in the room with nothing to do and no-one to talk to for 8 hours.

When she heard voices outside the door, she was worried, but the door opened and Tish walked in, carrying a tray with a plate and a cup on it. The guards locked the door again behind her.

" Tish," Lily said, looking up to see Tish wearing a maid's outfit.

Tish put the tray down on the desk and looked at Lily with a slight smile, " They wanted me to bring you some food. At least they're feeding us, right? "

Lily nodded, " Yeah ... I suppose it could be worse. _He _hasn't been up here yet. God knows what happens next, but at least he hasn't done anything yet. " She ran a hand through her hair, " have you seen Jack? "

Tish nodded, " They've chained him up in one of the engine rooms, arms and legs chained to the wall, so I had to spoonfeed him. He told me to tell you he loves you, if I saw you. "

Lily smiled, " Trust him to try and give something to make me happy, through all of this. "

" He's a good man," said Tish simply, " he seemed a lot more worried about you than himself. Doesn't give a damn what happens to him. "

Lily got off the bed - the only seat in the room - and looked at the tray. There was a glass of water and what looked like a plate of pasta, covered in cheese. Not bad. At least they were being fed.

Lily wanted to tell Tish to keep her chin up, and thank Tish for bringing the food and giving her the only conversation she'd had, but the door swung open and the guards looked at Tish

" Come on," one of them said gruffly, " it doesn't take long to deliver a tray. "

Tish gave her a little smile and then Lily was left alone again.

***

Much to her suprise, a week had passed, and still Lily had been left in the bedroom all alone.

The only person she'd seen was Tish, bringing in her meals on a tray and coming to take them away again, though the guards only let her in for long enough to put the food down, now stopping at the door to listen, so they couldn't even talk much.

Lily spent the days sitting in the room, at the desk or on the bed, thinking. She tried to play some of her happy memories inside her head, to pass the time. She tried to play films or read books that she already knew really well, inside her head, but nothing distracted from the loneliness.

At first she couldn't work out why nothing had happened to her, and she was left alone. It didn't make sense and she'd felt certain that the Master would have been in here right away, teasing, bullying, abusing

.

Then she realised that he was trying to make her suffer by being on her own. It was a common thought that if someone was on their own for long, no-one to talk to, nothing to do, completely isolated, they'd go mad. She wondered if he was trying to make her go mad. If this was his form of torture for her.

Not knowing anything was the worse part - not knowing what was happening to Martha, to Earth, to Jack, and to her Dad. The one thing she knew was that everyone was having a hard time, and it wasn't going to end any time soon.

It also didn't help that the only things she had in her room other than soap, shampoo and a towel, were the clothes she stood in - only one pair of jeans, one set of underwear, one buttoned up dark blue blouse and one pair of silver ankle boots.

She knew he was trying to make her go mad by being isolated, and she wasn't going to give in.

***

She'd been on her own for ten days and was expecting to be left alone for the next few days, when the door suddenly swung open. She'd been laying flat on her back and sat up in one swift motion, suprised when she saw the Master standing there.

She looked at him with wide eyes - he was standing there in a smart black suit, his hair mussed, smirking away and holding a white carrier bag. She just stared at him, trying to work out what he was doing here and what he was going to do to her, and then she stood up, still looking at him.

He smiled at her, a horrible sort of twisted smile, " I've brought you a present. "

She swallowed wih difficulty as he held the carrier bag out for her to take, and she'd no idea what to expect.

He pouted a little, " Aren't you going to take it? You'll hurt my feelings if you don't. "

She bit her lip and then took the bag from him, turning away, putting it on the desk, ready to open it. She was about to open it but then looked over her shoulder at him, trying to figure out what his game was.

He was stood in the middle of the room with a grin, watching her. " Well go on then," he said encouragingly, though it sickened her. She didn't dare do anything other than what he said, in case he turned on her, but she wanted to know about the others. She needed to know how they were.

She opened the carrier bag and reached in to touch some soft material. She frowned in confusion and then pulled it out to look at it. She held it out and her jaw dropped as she saw a short black skirt. He wanted her to wear that? Was he serious?

There was something else in the bag and she reached in again to pull out a top. She held it out and looked at the vest which looked as if it would be too low cut for her.

" And the rest," he said, sounding as though he was really enjoying it.

She pulled out two more short skirts and another two degrading shirts, and then the last thing - a silky dress, about knee length, strapless, dark green in colour. It shocked her that he'd got clothes for her, and there was no way she wanted to wear revealing clothes just because he wanted her to.

She turned around, glaring at him, " Are you serious? "

He nodded, " Completely. So much better than what you're wearing right now. You're a very pretty girl, Lily. Why don't you wear something that shows that off a bit more? "

" I'm not wearing these," she told him.

He laughed, moving closer to her, brushing right against her as he leant behind her and looked at the clothes. He picked up the short black skirt and the white vest and shoved them into her hands.

" That's what you can wear today," he told her.

" You're choosing my clothes for me? You can't make me wear them! " she said.

The Master raised his eyebrows at her, " Can't I? I think you'll find I can make you do anything I want to. Now, how about you change into these _without _me having to get the laser screwdriver on you? Or even more fun ... doing it myself. "

She sighed, knowing she had no choice, and heading for the bathroom.

From behind her, the Master tutted, " Why so modest, Lily? There's no point hiding from me, because one day I intend to have seen it all. "

This made her stop still and she had no idea what to say next, just staring at him, mouth slightly open. She was terrified because she knew he was going to hurt her, and she knew there was nothing she could do to stop him.

She closed the bathroom door, and she heard him sigh on the other side.

" Fine then," he said, " I'll let you keep your modesty ... _for now. "_

She grimaced, shedding her jeans slowly and reluctantly. She got dressed into the clothes he was forcing on her, with tears in her eyes, glad that he couldn't see her. This was completely humiliating, and she knew it would only be the first step of his plans ... he was too evil to leave her be, and she knew it.

When she was done, she looked down at herself. The skirt she wore fitted, and she wondered how he'd known it would, and it was several inches above her knee, revealing lots of her legs. The plan white vest was flimsy and a little too tight, revealing a little more than she would have liked.

She stood leaning against the door, not wanting to go back out there. She wasn't sure what she could put up with, and she knew it wouldn't be long before she cracked. He was going to drive her crazy, she could see it coming.

" Are you coming out, or do I have to come in and get you? " the Master said, that horrible threatening tone to his voice.

She would have preferred to stay in the room, but she knew she couldn't, so she swung the door open and just stood there. The Master grinned at her, eyes raking in every aspect of her, and she fixed her gaze firmly on the ground, not able to stand it.

Her heartbeats quickened as he moved closer and he was right in front of her. She was determined not to look at him and she shifted backwards a little bit.

His arm came out and she flinched as his hand neared her face, but once again, he was suprisingly gentle. He cupped one of her cheeks with his hand and smiled at her, leaning in. She was caught in a panic, assuming he was going to kiss her, and she certainly didn't want it.

She tried to move out of the way, but he was too quick, bringing his other arm out and laying a hand on her waist, holding her fast whilst he leaned in and kissed her forehead.

Once again she was suprised by how gentle he was and when he moved his lips, he dropped his hands from her and stepped back, nodding at her.

" You look much better like that," he told her, " now come on. "

As he turned towards the door, she raised her eyebrows in suprise, completely shocked. First she was suprised by him being gentle and not hurting her, but she quickly realised that he was doing it to confuse her. She knew he was making her wait, and he was biding his time, because that scared her more.

" Where are we going? " she asked him.

" We're going on deck, my pet," he replied with a smirk, before pushing the door open and leaving the room. She winced at the way he called her his "pet" and didn't move. It was only when she looked back at him that she realised she was going to have to follow him.

Reluctantly, she left the room and stood at his side. He nodded at her and told her she was a good girl, and then started walking fown the corridor. She had no choice but to follow behind him, as two armed guards walked behind them, brandishing guns.

They didn't speak as they walked down the corridors and all Lily could do was wish she was anywhere else. She assumed they were going to the conference room, but instead they walked to a door on the other side of the ship.

The Master stopped at the door and looked at Lily with that sadistic smile she already hated.

" Come on," he said, holding out his hand to her.

She moved towards the door but kept her hands firmly behind her back. He rolled his eyes but dropped his hand, letting it go. He swung open the door and Lily followed him, slowly and reluctantly, wanting to turn and run in the other direction.

Out there on the deck, she saw several guards standing around the edges, the deck overlooking the planet below them. Her dad was sitting in a wheelchair, finding it too difficult to walk and stand too long in his old body. Jack was standing there too, held by two burly guards, since he was likely to resist. Tish, Clive and Francine were also on deck.

The first thing Lily noticed was how miserable everyone looked. Francine had been made to dress in the same maid's outfit Tish had, and Clive in a janitor's overalls. Lily also saw Lucy standing not so far away, in a beautiful yellow dress.

All eyes turned to her as she and the Master came onto the deck, and she felt embarrassed, looking down at the ground, and trying to pull the neckline of her top up a little.

When she looked up, she looked at her dad, who looked back at her with sorrowful eyes. She needed to know that he was alright, but his face was grave and he gave nothing away.

As the Master laid a hand in the small of Lily's back and gently pushed her forwards, to stand with the others, Lily met Jack's eyes. He didn't look in too bad a way, and Lily noticed that all he was doing was raking his eyes over her, as if looking for any sign of injury. He looked a little relieved when he couldn't see any cuts or bruises , but he was left wondering if the Master had tried it on with her. He, like the Doctor, was also outraged by the way she'd been made to dress in revaling clothes for him.

The Master went to stand by his wife and Lily rushed forwards, trying to get to Jack and the Doctor, but a guard pointed his gun at her, so instead she had to stand still.

" Well, isn't this nice," the Master said with a smile.

" If you've done anything to Lily," Jack said, furious " I'm going to - "

The Master laughed, " Relax. "

The Doctor growled, " And you can bet that whatever he does, I'll do it ten times over. She's my little girl. "

The Master simply chuckled again, " You'll be pleased to know that I haven't actually done anything, yet. I'm biding my time. I promise you, that when I do anything to her, I'll be sure to tell you all about it. I might even show you, Jack. "

Jack tried to move forwards but was held back.

The Master simply sneered, " Temper, temper. "

" What are we doing here? " Lily asked quietly, trying to distract from everyone looking at her - they all wanted to know what had happened to her, if he'd done anything, and she couldn't stand the looks she was getting from the Doctor and Jack, both desperate to know how she was. She hated pity, and luckily, she didn't need any just yet.

" You're all about to witness the downfall of Japan," the Master replied, pointing over the the Earth. " Just down there, in about ... 30 seconds ... the attack starts. Japan is going to fall, and there'll be no-one left. And you get to watch it all. Aren't you lucky? "

There was a pause, and the Master sighed, " Come on then," he said, " over here. Come and stand by the railings. _Now. "_

They were forced to stand by the railings, and the guards stood behind them. They all stood in a row, and looked down at the Earth, while the guards stood a little way behind, holding guns to tell them not to move. The Master and Lucy stood at one end of the line, both looking on as if it was entertainment, with Clive, Tish and then Francine next to them. Then stood Lily, with Jack at her side and the Doctor at the end.

As the Toclafane swarmed on Japan, they had to stand and watch it happen.

Lily held her head up high and watched as the islands started to burn. She could imagine the people being so scared, trying to protect their children whilst they knew they were going to die. A tear fell down her cheek as she thought about it, all those people dying while all she could do was stand here and watch.

A hand was on her waist and she was thankful for Jack being there. He wrapped his arm around her waist and she turned away from what was going on below, towards him. He hugged her to his chest as tight as he could, wishing he could make everything go away for her. He'd built up Torchwood Three and he wanted to go back there, introduce her to the team and live happily ever after with her.

He hugged her close to him and she clung to him.

" Has he hurt you? " Jack whispered, right into her ear, so no-one else could hear.

" No," she replied just as quietly, " today was the first time I saw him since we got here. Hasn't touched me. " She missed off the way he'd given her a soft kiss on her forehead, not seeming it neccesary. He'd touched her, and she hated it, and it scared her, but it was nothing compared to what it could have been.

" Good," Jack said, " now listen to me because we don't know what _his _plans are and when we'll see each other again after this. "

" Yeah," she whispered, not looking up from his chest, and relishing in his tight protective grip.

" As much as we don't want to admit it," he muttered, trying to keep as quiet as he could, though the Master was too busy laughing at Japan burning, " we both know you're not safe, and I ... I can't help you. And I'm sorry. "

" It's not your fault," she muttered, shaking her head.

He continued, " I just want to tell you that whatever happens, whatever he does, you don't ever blame yourself. And whatever happens, I'll still love you. Nothing he does will _ever_ make me love you any less. I promise you. You've got to remember that. "

" You won't want me when he's .... if he makes me sleep with him," Lily said, shaking her head and trying to break free of his arms, " I'll be .... you just won't want me. "

He only hugged her just as tight and kissed her fiercley, " I will, because it won't be your fault. I'll still love you. "

As they stayed there, Jack hoped with all of his might that the Master wouldn't rape Lily. He knew he probably would to hurt her as much as possible, and to break her, but he really hoped she'd be safe. He needed Lily to be alright. Lily was his.

She whimpered in his arms as she heard the Master's manical laugh and he shot the Master a glare, rubbing Lily's back gently.

They stayed like they for a while, listening to the destruction from Earth, the Master's enjoyment of it, and the sobs from the others made to watch it. Lily couldn't say how long it was, and she wasn't watching, instead burying herself against Jack and wanting to stay there for as long as possible.

After what seemed like forever, the Master called out, " This is enough of this ... I want some lunch. We should all be getting back inside. "

Jack had to let go of Lily as the Master was pacing up and down in front of them all, having made them all turn to face him.

" Right," he said after a moment, " Jack is to be taken back and chained up again. I'll be sure to pay you a few more visits today ... it's suprisingly fun, killing a man over and over again. The clever old Doctor will be put back inside his little doghouse, Tish and Francine, you are to make me my dinner and serve it in the conference room, Janitor man you can go ... clean up or something. "

He then looked at his wife with a smile, " Lucy, my darling, go on inside. " His eyes then settled on Lily, " Oh, how could I forget about you? I'll escort you back to your room, my pet. I might even keep you company for a while. "

Jack hissed and the Doctor glared, but the Master shrugged, " Don't worry," he said, " I've already told you Jack, if anything happens to her you'll be the first to know about it. " To Lily he added, " Come on, pet, let's get going. "

Lily didn't want to move, but she knew she had to. She had to do everything he said now because there was no other option and no way out. She looked at her dad, who wanted to look after her and keep her safe, but couldn't. She looked at Jack, who was too busy glaring at the Master, and then she moved forwards.

She was alarmed when he draped his arm around her waist, and she shot him a glare but his only response was to pull her a little closer and move his hand lower, resting it on her behind. Her breath hitched and he heard it and smirked.

She could picture Jack and her dad ready to kill the Master, but she didn't get the chance to turn around and look at them because the Master was quickly walking to the door and she had to walk with him.

Once again, they walked in silence, and all Lily could think about was the way his hand rested on her behind, and how much she hated it. They were in complete silence all the way back to her room, and when they were inside, the Master gave her a little squeeze and then let go of her.

She stared at him, revolted, but of course, he didn't care.

" What do you need _me _for? " she asked him, " you've got Lucy. She's beautiful and _she_ actually wants you. "

" I know," he said, " but it's much more fun with you because you don't want me. But I'll show you. "

She took a step backwards from him and he shook his head at her, though he said nothing. She waited for him to leave the room and for a horrible moment, she thought he wasn't going to.

Then he threw her wink and headed for the door. " I'll see you soon," he told her, before he left her alone.

***

Once again she was left on her own for days. She spent six days sitting on her own in the room, with only Tish coming in for brief moments to bring and take away food and trays. She was now certain he was doing it to tease her, leaving her on her own to scare her because she was left wondering when he'd come for her.

The door banged open and Lily was laying on the bed with her eyes closed. She didn't even bother to open them, simply saying sleepily, " Bit early for dinner, isn't it Tish? You only brought lunch about an hour ago. "

" Is that any way to greet your Lord and Master? " a completely different voice to Tish's answered.

Lily opened her eyes and sat up, " Oh," she said, " I wasn't expecting you. "

" No, I thought I'd suprise you," the Master said, " I'm not stopping for long, I just thought I'd drop in to see how you are. "

Lily stood up, waiting to see what he'd do next, standing there watching him carefully, " Well, as you can see, I'm fine," she said, " bloody bored out of my skull, but I'm ... fine. "

The Master tutted, " Bored? Well, we can't have that? I'll have to pay you visits more often, to keep you occupied. I suppose there isn't a lot you can do in here. There's just ... a bed. Still, a bed can come in handy, can't it? "

Lily didn't reply, and took a step away from him. He smirked and moved closer. He got so close she thought he was going to grab her or something instead he frowned and looked her up and down. Then he pulled out one of the drawers in the chest beside her bed and pulled out the silky green dress that was too short and too lowcut.

" Here," he said, tossing it at her, " you should be wearing the clothes I brought for you. "

She shrugged, trying not to let him get to her, trying to be brave and keep lighthearted about it, " I didn't really see the point when I'm sat up here on my own all day. "

" So you disobeyed me," he said, his voice dangerously low.

Lily sensed the sudden change in him and knew she was in danger so she shook her head, " I'm sorry, I just didn't .... "

She didn't get any further because the back of his hand met her face with a smack, sending her head snapping to one side and her hair flying across her face. She didn't move, staying in that position, his blow stinging. With a tear in her eye, she brought a hand to her face and pressed it against her cheek.

She wasn't suprised he'd actually hit her ... he was an evil amoral man, and it was about right for him, but she sort of hadn't expected it to happen so suddenly.

" Look at me," he hissed, standing right in front of her.

She slowly turned her head back to look at him, still clutching her cheek, and he grabbed that arm and wrenched it away from her face, grabbing her other arm too, clutching them both so tightly it hurt, halfway between her elbow and her wrists.

He was much stronger than her, and he used her arms to move her around the room and slam to her against the wall, where she groaned with pain, her back banging against the hard surface.

He pinned her arms to the wall and pressed his body right up against hers. She couldn't stand being so close to him and she thought right that there he was going to rape her.

He brought his face close to hers and hissed right by her ear, " You disobeyed me, my pet. That's a very bad thing to do. You need to stay on my good side, because bad things happen ovetherwise. "

He leaned back a little, keeping one of her arms pinned to the wall and bringing his hand to her cheek, " Look what I've had to do to you. If you'd just worn the clothes I wanted you to, you wouldn't have made me angry. If you do as I ask, everything stays alright. It's your fault I had to hit you, you understand? "

" It's not," she snapped, trying to push him off her.

This made him furious and he grabbed both her arms again, slamming her back against the wall, keeping an even tighter and more painful grip on her, and ignoring the cry of pain she let out.

" This is what I mean he said," he said, " you've got to do as I say. "

With that, he pushed her arms back against the wall a little further, twisting them painfully and bringing his lips down on hers forcefully. She could do nothing as he pressed himself against her and held her tightly. His lips were on hers and he slipped his tounge into her mouth, kissing her deeply. It was a long kiss and when he broke away, he looked extremely pleased with himself.

Lily felt disgusted and she wanted to be as far away from him as possible. His hands on her arms too tightly, hurting her too much, his whole body pressed against hers, and then worst of all, his lips on hers. She felt embarrassed, ashamed, and disgusted.

" Well," the Master said, with a very happy grin, letting go of her so quickly she almost fell to the floor. Instead, she steadied herself, resting against the wall and keeping very still, not daring to move.

There was a pause, before the Master licked his lips, " I think your daddy will have to hear all about this. And Jack. I'll tell them how I hit you because you deserved it. And then how I kissed you, and it felt so good. And as for you, well ... I'll certainly be visiting more often. "

She swallowed, bit her lip, wanting to spit the taste of him out of her mouth, and then asked timidly, scared of being struck again, " What are you going to do to me? I mean, we both know you've got something planned, so what do you intend to do in the end? How far does this go? "

The Master raised his eyebrows at her, " All the way, my pet. Not right now, maybe, but in the end. "

She nodded. As much as she hated to admit it to herself, she knew he wanted to sleep with her, and she knew if he tried, she wouldn't be able to stop him. " All the way," she repeated, much more bravely than she felt, " even if I don't want it? "

He looked at her, suprised by the way the young girl spoke to him to easily, and challenged him. He did like a challenge. Then he shook his head at her, " It doesn't matter what you want. "

There was a pause during which he looked at her and she felt so uncomfortable she stared at the floor.

Then he smirked, " The next time I see you, and every time after that, you _will _be wearing the clothes I say you should wear. "

The door slammed again, and he was gone.

Lily stayed where she was for a moment and then sank to the floor, tears starting to form in her eyes. She blinked them away and laid her hands on her arms gently, over the place he'd grabbed her arms so tightly. She rubbed her arms, wanting to make the whole situation go away. Then she licked her lips, despairing over the fact he'd kissed her so roughly.

All she needed right now was Jack, but she knew she wouldn't get him anytime soon.

***

The next morning, Lily was awake early. The first thing she did when she woke up was open the drawers and pull out that flimsy green dress which she hated, but he wanted her to wear.

She went into the bathroom and got dressed slowly, hating it, and really wanting to rip the thing up But he could come into her room at any minute and she didn't want to anger him any more. She thought if she just wore the damned thing ... it was only a dress, after all ... then he wouldn't be angry at her.

When she was dressed, she turned to the mirror that hung on the bathroom wall and looked at herself.

It was hard to believe they'd only been here two weeks because as she looked at herself, she saw a woman who looked so depressed and unhappy. She inspected her cheek and saw that his blow yesterday had been so strong, it had left a mark on her face.

It wasn't very prominent, but it was definitley there, and the more she looked at it, the darker and more visible she thought it was. The mark was a dark blue bruise on her cheekbone, under her ear. She brought a hand to it and looked at it, shaking her head at the sight of herself.

Then she turned her back on the mirror and pulled the toilet seat down, sitting on top of it and holding her arms out. She ran her hands down her arms and was sickened by what she saw.

On both of her arms were darker, heavier bruises than the one under her eye, where he'd grabbed her and held her tightly against the wall. There they were, halfway between her wrists and elbows, dark purplish-blue bruises where his fingers pressed too hard against her skin.

She hated what he'd done to her, and she started to think that if only she'd done as he wanted , and worn the clothes he wanted her to, she wouldn't have gotten hurt.

Maybe it was her fault, really. She tried to push that thought away, but it still lingered.

When she heard her bedroom door bang open, she stood up quickly and reached for the watch on the side of the shower. It was 8am. It was too early for breakfast from Tish - a lot of the time, meals were skipped, on the Master's orders, anyway.

" Lily? " he called out, his voice cutting through her, " where are you, my pet? "

Lily knew she had to be brave and face him, so she opened the bathroom door and looked over at him. He grinned when he saw her and held out his arms.

" Ah, my pet, looking positively lovely wearing that," he said, " see how happy you make me, when you do as I say? "

She just nodded and then after a moment, said, " I didn't expect you to be here so early. I ... well ... two days in a row. "

" Aren't you lucky? " the Master nodded, slowly crossing the room, knowing that she hated it when he moved so slow and carefully towards her. He pouted when he stopping in front of her and looked at her face and arms, " Dear me, is this what I did to you? " He picked up her hands and pulled her arms out, looking at the marks he'd left on her skin.

Then he leant down, pulling her arms up and kissing a few of the marks on her forearms lightly, making Lily want to drag her arms away.

When he straightened up, he gave her that smile that was sickly sweet and awful, as he warned her, " If you don't disobey or disrespect me, then I don't hit you again, understand? "

She nodded, " Yes," she said quietly.

" Use my name," he said.

" Yes, Master," she said meekly.

" Good pet," he grinned, " now come on, we're going for a walk. "

" We are? " she asked, suprised.

He nodded, " We are," he confirmed, opening the door, " chop chop. "

She followed him from the room as soon as he told her to, and they walked down the corridors in silence, two guards following them. They walked to the conference room where it had all started, and when the door opened, Lily saw Jack, the Doctor and Lucy Saxon sat around the table.

She wanted to rush at her love and at her dad and hug them both. Neither of them looked in too bad a way when she saw them - not bruised and battered, at least - so Lily supposed the Master had been torturing Jack by killing him, and the Doctor by ... well, she didn't know. Probably through the ageing, and his words. Sometimes what the Master said and how he said it was the scariest thing.

The only thing that stopped her running to hug them was the Master at her side. He grabbed her at the elbow to be certain she wouldn't do anything, and she looked at him and saw the dangerous look in his eye and knew not to struggle against him.

He steered her to a seat near the top of the table, whereas Jack and the Master where sat at the bottom. He pulled out the chair, keeping a grip on her arm and then let go of her.

" Sit," he told her.

She did as she was told, and the Doctor and Jack, sat side by side, exchanged panicked looks. They saw the way she did exactly as he told her to - their Lily wouldn't do that - and the way he held onto her arm to make her do as he said. And when they looked back at her, the Doctor noticed the dark bruises on her arms.

Outraged, he looked from his daughter to his nemesis, " What have you done? " he asked quietly, seriously, deadly serious

The Master just looked at him blankly, " Hmmm? "

The Doctor looked back at Lily, who was staring at the table, and then looked at the Master again, " To Lily. What have you done to her? "

The Master simply smirked as he pointed at Lily's arms, which were resting ontop of the table, " Oh, that? Oh, that's nothing. My new pet and I just had a little disagreement, so I had to teach her a lesson. "

Jack now noticed the marks and then he also saw the fainter bruise on her face, and wanted to first kill the Master, and then looked after Lily. He felt so bad that he couldn't look after her.

The Doctor shook his head, " How ... how could you? " he asked, sadly, though he knew what the Master was capable of, " we've been here _two weeks! " _he said, voice raising with anger, " we've been here two weeks and you've already hit her? What's going to have happened to her in a year? She's not going to make it a full year of this! She's just a child," he took a deep breath, and then shook his head again, " she's my kid. "

Jack stood up, " You won't get away with it," he said, " I'm going to kill you if it's the last thing I do. "

The Master held out his screwdriver at Jack, leaning forwards, " Sit down," he said.

" No! " Jack snapped, " what are you going to do about it? Kill me? Well go ahead! Kill me! "

The Master looked like he was going to, but he shook his head and sat down beside Lily, Lucy on his other side. " No," he said, " because then we'd have to wait for you to come back to life, and I hate waiting. We're about to dicuss something I think you'll need to hear. "

Jack took his seat again, looking at Lily, who refused to meet anyone's eyes. He didn't know how to cope in this situation, and as difficult as he was finding it, he knew it would get worse. The Doctor, too, watched his daughter carefully, trying to meet her eye, but she was finding it hard to look at anyone, feeling too embarrassed, and too ashamed.

" I've got an idea," the Master said, " it's a great idea too, so I thought I'd discuss it with the people involved. "

" Us? " Lily asked quietly, looking across at him.

He nodded, " Me and you to be precise, my pet. In fact, it's such a brilliant and genius idea that I need to make everyone else aware of it, which is why I gathered my wife, the Doctor and Jacky boy here. "

" Whatever you're planning," the Doctor said, " if it's to do with Lily then you can forget about it. Whatever it is, it's not happening. "

" How are _you _going to stop it? " asked the Master, looking at the Doctor in the old body, " with you kept in here by guards, tied up like the dog you are, and Jack chained to the engines most of the time, how are either of you going to stop it? " He laughed, " it's awful, isn't it? The one thing you both care about most, and you're not going to be able to protect her. You're not going to be able to do anything. "

" Maybe not right now," Jack said, " but one day ... "

" Oh blah, blah, blah," the Master said, waving his hand about, " now time for this genius plan of mine. There are three Time Lords in the whole of the universe, correct? "

The Doctor nodded, while everyone wondered where he was going with this.

The Master continued, " The others all died, and one day the three of us," he pointed between himself, Lily and the Doctor, " will be dead. This will leave our race extinct, correct? "

" Well, yes," the Doctor agreed.

" But it doesnt have to, does it? " the Master grinned, " what if there were more time lords, to carry on the legacy? More, proper, pure time lords? "

" But there aren't," Lily said quietly, hardly daring to speak.

The Master looked around at everyone at the table and then said, " Not yet. Not yet, but there could be. Oh, there could be. What's to stop the existing Time Lords from procreating? Creating new life ... new Time Lords. The race could live on! "

" No," the Doctor said flatly, understanding the plan at once.

Lily however, frowned. " But there aren't any other ... " she stopped, eyes widening in fear as she realised what he meant, " pure time lords? " she said, worried, " you wanna create pure time lords. "

" I do," the Master nodded, grinning as he faced her, " isn't it brilliant? The legacy living on? I want to have children. I want to make another time lord. Who knows, maybe even two? "

Lily stared at him and shook her head stiffly, " I ... no," she breathed, " we can't ... I .... no," she choked.

The Master smirked, pleased with himself as he leered at her, " That's right, my pet. The problem for you is, I need a female Time Lord to create pure time lord children with. And _you're _my only possibility. So, congratulations you're going to be a mum. "

" No! " she said, standing up so quickly her chair almost went flying, and trying to get to the door, though there were guards standing there.

" Yes! " the Master said, standing up just as quickly as grabbing her arm, turning her around to face him. She winced and hissed in pain as he twisted her arm, and Jack stood up too to go and drag him away from _his _girl, but two guards grabbed him and tried to pull him back. The Doctor, a frail old man, stood up, but was forced back into his seat.

" You're _going _to do this! " the Master told her, dragging her back to the table roughly and forcing her into the seat, " see, you're disobeying me, again. I know it's a shock, but when you think about it, you'll realise it's a very good idea. The time lords continuing into a whole new generation, carrying out the legacy. What could be better? "

Lily just shook her head at him silently, and he tutted.

" Don't be like that, my pet," he said, " after all, we're going to be parents. You and me are going to create a life. "

" But I don't want to," she said, tears filling in her eyes, a common occurance now.

" I already told you," the Master shrugged simply, " it doesn't matter what you want. "

Lily shook her head, and she was completely shocked. He wanted her to have a baby with him. The thought of her having a child was scary enough, especially one who would get half of his genes from the Master. Of course the worst thing was how they'd concieve.

It could take many, many attempts. None of which she would consent to. She bit back a louder sob, which ripped through the room, when she realised he was going to rape her again and again and again, until she got pregnant.

It was something she couldn't face. In fact, right at that moment, she thought she'd rather be dead

" You can't do this," the Doctor said, " please ... please don't. You ... you can't do that to her. She's just a kid, compared to how old me and you are. She hasn't done anything to you. "

The Master simply shook his head, " It can't be helped if she's the only femlale time lord. Although I can't deny it'll be fun. She's very beautiful, and it's going to hurt you, Doctor, so very much, and hurt Jack here, that it'll make it even more fun. "

" Please," the Doctor begged as a tear fell down Lily's cheek and he felt he was failing her as her dad, " please don't. "

" Oh _shut up," _the Master said, shaking his head, " you should be happy - look at the bigger picture! There'll be more time lords ... you'll have a grandson! Or a granddaughter, maybe. "

Another sob broke through the room from Lily and it was slowly breaking Jack's heart to see her so helpless, while he couldn't do anything. He snapped.

He stood up again and this time shoved his chair away and was half way towards the Master before three guardds grabbed him, even the three of them struggling to fight against him and pull him back.

Jack struggled for all he was worth and pointed a finger at the Master, " You! " he shouted, " you're a dead man! You're not going to do this! You can't just demand that she has sex with you because you want a baby. This is .... this is _sick! "_

" No, this is genius," the Master said, " and do you want to know the bit you're really going to love? The best bit, Jack? " he asked, goading Jack as the guards pulled him away, " the best bit, is that I've got a long time to make this happen. It might take a while to get my new pet pregnant, but I've got lots of time. I'll do it for as long as it takes. Over and over and over again. "

Jack spat at the Master, as he saw Lily sitting there, face buried in her hands as she sobbed, unable to think of anything worse than this. Jack hated seeing her like this, and needed to do something about it, even though he couldn't.

The Master just smirked, " It's touching, really, how much you _love _her. And I'm going to make you suffer for that. You're going to stand there all chained up while your lovely girlfriend and I have sex right in front of you. Tell me, Jack, how many times have _you _slept with her? Whatever it is, I'm going to make her do it more time with me than she has with you. I'm going to take her and ruin her. Will you still _love _her then? "

Lily looked up through her tears to hear the answer and Jack looked past the Master and at Lily, " Yes," he said, before looking back at the Master, " Yes, I'll love her no matter what. "

" Good job," the Master said, smirking away, " Oh, this is going to hurt you all so much. Just think of it Jack, me and _your girlfriend _having a child. Me, having a family, with _your girlfriend. _Have you thought about marrying her, having children, your own little family? Well, tough. "

Jack tried to move forwards again, but the Master laughed.

" Take him out of here," he told the guards.

Lily watched in horror as Jack was dragged to the door and just before he was taken away, the Master called out, " Oh, and Jack? Don't worry about her, because when I decide to start trying for the baby, you'll know about it. You can be witness to it, I promise you. "

Jack gritted his teeth, wanting to lunge forwards again, but instead looking to meet Lily's eyes. She glanced at him, and all he could see was fear. He mouthed at her " I love you. "

She was about to mouth it back, but he was dragged away before she had the chance.

She sniffed, trying to stop sobbing for long enough to turn to Lucy, " What about you? " she asked, adressing the evil man's wife, while the Master stood at the doorway.

Lucy shrugged, looking a little taken aback at being spoken to by her husband's prisoner, " What _about _me? "

Lily sniffed, " _Your husband _wants to impregnate me with his time lord baby, and that doesn't bother you? "

Lucy looked a little lost for words for a moment, but then she smiled over at her husband lovingly, and then looked back at Lily, " I'm sorry," she said, " but it's not up to me. He's made the choice ... he wants to carry on the time lord legacy ... that's his choice. "

" Come on," the Master said, moving over to Lily and laying a hang on her shoulder, making her flinch a little under his hand, " I think it's time we got you back to your room. "

She stood up slowly and turned to face him. She scanned his face, trying to work out why he'd do such a thing, but all she saw was how dead behind the eyes he was. He was only happy when he was causing pain to someone else.

" Please," she said quietly, shaking her head at him, " don't make me. "

" Shhh," he said, scarily gentle, " don't worry about it, it'll all be good when we've got a little baby, won't it? I think you need to go to your room and calm down. You'll come around to the idea when you think about it. "

Lily knew she wouldn't, but she didn't dare tell him that. Instead, she followed him when he told her to leave the room with him. She took a backwards glance at her dad and he mouthed " I'm sorry," though it was of no comfort. There was nothing that could make her feel better right now.

They walked back to her room in silence, as they always did.

When they got there and the guards opened up for them, Lily hurried into the bedroom and hoped the Master would leave. Instead, he followed her in, and looked at her.

Then he moved closer and stopped right in front of he. She prayed he wouldn't touch her - there was only so much she could take for one day. She was already overloaded with information, and she didn't need anything else to happen.

He looked her up and down and nodded in appreciation, " You look very lovely in that dress. "

She nodded and closed her eyes, " Thank you, Master. "

He sounded curious when he asked, " Why the closed eyes? "

She kept her eyes closed firmly as she replied honestly, " I'm hoping that when I open them, you'll be gone. "

There were footsteps and she was met with a brief silence. She wondered if he'd actually gone, and wondered even more why he'd actually do that. More mind games? Surely he wasn't doing something because she wanted him to. She opened her eyes to find that he was half out of the door.

" Wait! " she called, moving forwards

He turned and came back into the room, looking genuinely suprised at her calling for him, " I thought you wanted me to leave? " he said, frowning at her.

" I do," Lily said," yeah, but ... I mean ... please, don't do it. "

He smirked, " I'm sorry, my pet, but I can't make that promise. I _will _have my way. "

The door slammed loudly as he left and Lily sighed. She could feel the tears ready to start again, and she crossed the room and sank onto her bed.

***

**Author's Note: I just started writing, and wasn't sure where it was going to end when I started, but I think it turned out quite well.**

**Let me know what you think**

**Also, I haven't actually decided if the Master's time lord baby plan will actually result in a baby, or if he'll have no luck, so I'll have to think about it yet.**

**But I know when I finish this story, I'm probably going to write about Lily and Jack at Torchwood. **


	17. The Master's Plan

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. **

**Also, once again this isn't going to be read, and it's difficult to write and get right, but I've tried to do my best to write it well. Scary stuff in this chapter - definitley mature. **

Chapter Seventeen

Lily spent the rest of that day dreading him coming back - she couldn't believe his plan, and it was the most terrifying scenario she could imagine. She didn't think she could do it - not at all.

Firstly, she was 200. By Gallifreyan standards, that was the equivalent of being about 20 in human years, and meant that she was young. She couldn't imagine having children, a family, something so dependant on her.

Then there was the fact that it was _his _child. That disguted her - if they had a kid together, it would have half of his genes, and she'd always be reminded of him. What if it turned out to be just like him? She couldn't bring up a child that was like him!

And then there was the fact they'd actually have to concieve a child. That was the worst bit of all. He was evil and he could just make her do it until they had a baby on the way.

When she woke up the next morning, Lily decided she'd had enough of moping around. She was a clever girl, so she must be able to do something, she thought. There had to be something she could do to stop him going through with his plan. Maybe if she thought of the right thing to tell him, she could put him off his plan.

She knew it was unlikely, but it was so wrong that she couldn't do anything? She could usually always get out of a situation - she was the Doctor's daughter, for god's sake, she told herself - and she couldn't face that fact that she couldn't do anything about this.

She didn't get dressed into what he wanted her to wear, and sat on the bed, hugging her knees to her chest. When Tish came in, Tish gave her a sympathetic smile, and Lily wasn't sure if it was because Lily was being kept locked up, or because she knew about the plan.

Tish only had time to smile at her and leave before she was forced out by the guards, leaving Lily to stare at the tray. On it was a single banana and a glass of water.

She shrugged, not minding the small portions. Time Lords could go for longer without food than humans could, so it didn't affect her too much. She got off the bed and went towards the tray.

The door opened as she was taking a sip of water and she put the glass down when she heard a tutting.

" Not dressed appropriately, my pet," he said, shaking her head as she turned to face him. Instead she was wearing her jeans, and blouse.

She took a breath and then told herself to be brave, as she tried to lie to him, determined that nothing could happen today, " Yeah, about that .... I'm not feeling too good. "

The Master rolled his eyes, taking a step closer to her, " That's no good, is it? Today, I want to start trying for this baby of ours. I want you to wear something pretty, so I can rip it off you in about ... five minutes ... when we go to the engine room. "

" Engine room? " Lily asked nervously, taking a step away to match the step he took towards her.

The Master nodded and moved closer to her, stopping just in front of her, leaving her too afraid to move away. " Yeah, engine room," he nodded, " you know, that little place I've been keeping Jack? I think he should be witness to this. " He laughed, " the first time me and you have sex. Oh, It's going to be fun. "

" I mean it, I'm really not very well," Lily said, not meeting his eyes, " I've got stomach cramps .... I ... it's that time of the month. "

The Master sighed, taking a step away from her, " What? " he demanded.

She nodded, feeling a little more confident, " Yeah, it's my time of the month, so I'm feeling all over the place. It's not a good idea today. "

He frowned, and Lily thought he was going to uncover her lie as he looked at her. She knew that if he wanted to, he could just use his psychic abilities to worm his way into her mind, and she was always terrified he'd get into her mind, and try to make her want him.

Instead, however, he reached out towards her. She automatically flinched, but he didn't hit her. Instead he took her hand and held it to his lips.

" You'd better not be lying to me," he said, holding her hand just in front of his face, " because you'll hurt my feelings if you do. "

" It's the truth," she said.

He kissed her hand and then let it drop and she had ot fight not to grimace and wipe her hand on her jeans. He turned away as if he was going to leave, but then stopped, turning to face her again.

" Have you come around the the idea yet? " he asked her with a grin.

She shook her head, " You know I'm not going to. I am never going to think this is a good idea. "

The Master tutted, " Shame, really. It would make things so much _easier _if you wanted it too. I can't see what your problem is, really. I'm an attractive man, aren't I? And at the end of it, you'll have a baby that you're going to really love. The Time Lords are going to continue - that's the ultimate aim of this. It's good, don't you see? Look at it in the long run .... it's going to be _good. _"

Lily shook her head, " I don't want a baby. "

" No," the Master said, " you don't want _my _baby. Which is ridiculous really, my pet. Think about it - any children you could have with Jack are inferior. They won't be proper time lords. Not like I could give you. I can give you pure children. You could go so far as to say I'm doing you a favour. "

She was horrifeid that he'd think like this, and she shook her head again, though this time she said nothing.

The Master saw how down she looked and shook his head at her, pouting a little. The pout might have been cute if it wasn't on _his _face. It was just wrong, and he used it to get what he wanted.

He looked at her and said, " How about you take today and the next few days, if need be, until you're better. But _that's all. _I might have lots of time, but I'm going to get what I want _soon. _We need to make a start on it. "

" I don't want to," she said, in such a quiet voice that she almost wasn't heard, " you're ..... we're .... you're going to do it until I'm pregnant. "

He nodded, " For as long as it takes, but don't worry. " He stepped closer, reached out and put his hand to her cheek with a sickly sweet smile, " I always get my own way, and I've got a feeling I will this time too. "

" Really? "

He rubbed his thumb across her cheek gently as her eyes flickered, almost closed, as she wished he'd go away. " Really," he repeated, " I tend to get what I want, so if I want you pregnant, I've got a feeling it's going to happen quickly ... who knows, you might be pregnant within weeks. "

She sighed and he dropped his hand from her and looked at the tray with her food on. " You haven't eaten yet? " he asked.

She shrugged, watching him pick up the banana and wondering why she cared about what she did or didn't eat. " Haven't had time," she replied, " Tish came just before you. "

" _Are _you going to eat? " he asked

She shrugged again, " Yeah, in a bit. "

" You should eat," he said, smirking at her as he started peeling the banana, while she watched him in suprise - he was now going to make her eat? This was ... this was just stupid. " You've got to be in a good physical condition, because you need to keep your strength up. And _when_ you're pregnant, I'll be keeping an even closer eye on you, because I don't want anything to jepoardise the race from continuing. "

He was finished peeling the banana and he held it up to her. " Eat," he said.

She looked at the food and then looked at him, frowning. She then realised that all he wanted to do was have power of her. Through her clothes, and her food, and her body. She wasn't going to submit to it, not wanting to lower herself to literally eating out of his hand.

He looked annoyed when she didn't take the food from him, and he put it back on the tray. " Fine," he said, " if you're not going to eat, I'll let it go this once. But you won't starve yourself. I'll make you eat, if I have to. "

" Like I said, I'm not well," she told him.

He pouted, " Of course. I'm sorry, my pet. " He leaned in and cupped her face again. She thought he was going to kiss her, and she was right. When his lips crashed down on hers, he started pressing his whole body against hers and she whimpered. His other hand was on her waist, pulling her to him.

He deepened the kiss and his tounge was right in her mouth. He was moaning into her mouth and she hated how much he enjoyed one kiss. And if one kiss made her feel so bad, what was she going to be like after he'd done so much more.

She felt his hardness press against her leg and she panicked. This was too much ... too real. She realised just how much he enjoyed it, and it was too much for her to cope with. She laid her hands on him and tried to shove him away. He tried to keep his grip on her but when she pushed harder, he was caught off guard and staggered away from her.

She wiped her mouth on the back of her hand, and he was breathing deeply as he looked at her. She looked at him with wide eyed panic as he glared at her. She knew she'd made a mistake, but she had to fight for herself.

He moved forwards and he grabbed her arms tightly, forcing her backwards. He forced her onto the bed, on her back, and she tried to shove him away again, but he was stronger than her and he got on top of her.

His weight on top of her was too much for her to fight off and he was there, above her, too close and too strong and too angry.

" You don't _ever_ reject me," he hissed at her, holding her down tightly, pressing himself against her so she couldn't get away. She had her eyes closed and he roared, " Look at me! "

Her eyes shot open as he shook her and she stared up at him as she lay flat on her back, defenceless. She was breathing heavily through her terror and she hated how aroused he was by the power he held.

" You," he snarled, " are a _very _naughty girl. " He pressed down harder against her, " You're going to do exactly as I say every single time we're together. If I want to kiss you, I will. And when I want to have sex, we will. "

" Please," she said as he moved back a bit, holding her down with his body alone, letting go of her arms. She stared up at him, shaking her head as he smirked down at her, " Please ... don't do it," she said.

He laughed cruelly and hit her straight across the face. She gasped as the blow stung her cheek - this was the second time he'd hit her now, and she knew it wouldn't be the last. He laughed manically when she turned back to look at him, trapped underneath him.

" Don't? " he asked, " why are you bothering to waste your breath? You already know what's going to happen. "

" But - "

" Don't argue with me," he roared.

She didn't dare reply, only thinking of what was going to happen next, and he didn't say anything either. He just glared down at her, and then he leaned in on, bringing lips to her. He planted a kiss on her cheek, leaving her shuddering, and then with a smirk, he moved.

She lay flat on her back when he was off her, and then he was standing beside the bed. She didn't bring herself to look at him, instead staring at the ceiling, praying he'd leave.

He was straightening his tie and he said, " Since you claim it's not convient or you, we won't start the plan today. I'll be back tomorrow to check on you. "

***

When he came back the next day, she gave him the same excuse, telling him she felt ill. He wasn't impressed, but he didn't hit her, or even kiss her, so she was relieved. The next day went the same, and it was on the fourth day that Lily knew he wouldn't fall for it again.

She got up early, because she was worried he might come in early. She needed to think of something to do. She decided to needed to make him think she was ill, but she had no way of doing that - the only things in the room where soap, shampoo, a towel and some clothes.

She went into the bathroom and splashed water all over her face. She splashed more and more until she looked iller - drops of water across her face, maybe making her look she'd been crying, she thought. She went her fringe, hoping if it was damp when he came in, he might think she was sweating.

Sighing, she went back into the bedroom and decided she needed something else to make her seem sick. When Tish brought her breakfast, she was hit with an idea.

She mauled the food to make it look like she hadn't wanted it and left it on the tray. Looking around the room, she then saw the little radiator in the corner, and decided it was her only option.

She knelt in front of it, higher it up, and knelt her forehead against it. It seemed like a stupid idea but she needed to do _something, _and it was all that she had. She stayed against the radiator until her face started to heat up - it took a while since Time Lords were more resistant to temperatures than humans.

When she was done, she got into the bed and pulled the covers up to her chin, staring at the ceiling for a while before closing her eyes.

When she heard voices outside the room, she immediately picked out the Master's.

The door opened and she opened her eyes slowly, groaning as if she was just coming awake. She sighed and then rolled over on her side.

" Deary me," the Master said as he stood in the middle of the room, looking at her, " you don't look well. How convient. What's your illness today? "

She propped herself up on one elbow and tried to make her voice croaky, " I don't feel up to much. Good news is, my period went away, so we're all ready to go," she said, trying to be lighthearted, though it sickened her, " bad news is, I just feel terrible. Feel really ... hot and sweaty an' everything. "

The Master raised his eyebrows, " Oh really? Isn't it convenient that because _I_ want to do something _you _don't want to do, you claim you're ill? I think you're lying to me, my pet. "

" Nah, I wouldn't," she told him, " there .... there wouldn't be much point, would there? "

" Good," he nodded, " you're learning. "

She nodded meekly and tried to look upset and fed up, even though she was thrilled he hadn't done anything to her yet. He was watching her carefully, and then he moved closer to the bed.

He crouched down in front of her as she lay on her side facing him. He reached out one hand and pressed it to her forehead. She hoped with all her might that he wouldn't realise she was lying, and she watched him with wide eyes.

He pressed his hand to her forehead and frowned at her, " Ooh," he said, " you are a little hot. Come to think of it, you don't look too good. "

" Must have come down with something," she said in mumble.

He moved his head from her forehead and pulled the covers further up around her shoulders, " I suppose," he said, drawing himself to full height, " I can let you be, for today. "

" Thank you," she muttered, hardly daring to believe it was true.

" Use my name," he warned her.

She nodded, " Thank you, my Master," she said.

" But don't think you're going to get away with this much longer," he said, " because I intend to have this baby coming _very _soon. I've decided I might like more than one child. The quicker I make you pregnant, the quicker you have the child, and we can get to work on another one. "

" More than one? " she asked, suprised.

The Master simply nodded, " Yes. One baby will go a way to carrying on the legacy, but I don't see why we should stop there. So you mark my words, we're going to start trying for this baby as soon as possible. I'll give you today and tomorrow to get better, and that's very generous of me. After that, no more excuses. I don't care. In two days time, we're going to have sex. "

She didn't reply.

He smirked, " Who knows, you might even enjoy it. "

" I will _not," _she replied stubbornly.

He shook his head at her, " Don't argue - you know it doesn't get you anywhere. You're much better when you do as you're told. Think about it though," he said, his voice making her wince, " if we're going to do it over and over and over again, until you're pregnant, eventually you're going to get used to it. You're going to stop fighting back because you'll learn it doesn't work. You'll stop hating it so much, because you'll get used to it. And you'll stop hating me when you have our baby, and realise how much you love it. One day you're going to love me too. "

" I love Jack," she said, sitting up in the bed.

The Master just laughed at her, " Jack. Yes, you do now, but you won't when I'm done. I'm going to turn Jack against you. Once he's watched what I do to you, he's going to be so sickened that he won't be able to look at you again. "

" You can't do that," she told him, confident that Jack would never stop loving her.

" I can," he sneered, " and I will. Here's how it's going to work. I'm going to take you down to the room where I've been keep Jack. Jack's chained the the wall and there's no way he can move. He's going to stand there and watch it all. Really, can you imagine any greater torture than not being able to save the only thing you really love? "

Lily shook her head. She was terrified about what was going to happen to her, and as things stood, it was going to hurt her, and ruin her life. But not Jack. Sure, Jack would have to deal with her being so upset afterwards, when Martha's plan worked, and they got off the Valiant, but he'd be ok.

Not, she realised, if the Master made Jack watch it all. Then it would devaste him every bit it did her, and his life would be ruined. She loved Jack more than anything, and didn't want him to have to suffer because of what had happened to her.

" Leave him out of it," Lily said, shaking her head at him, " please, just, not Jack. You don't have to do that. You don't have to do any of it. "

" But I'm going to," he told her, " and while he's there, all chained up to the wall, I'm going to pin you to the wall directly opposite, so he can see everything. I'll hold you so tightly you can't get away, then I'm going to rip your clothes away, and I'll have my own way. " He laughed, " I think I'll start by kissing your neck. Then I'll carry on kissing ... all the way down. Then I think I'll .... I'll unbutton my trousers, force you onto your knees, and make you see to me. "

" Well that won't result in a baby," Lily pointed out, cringing at the very mention of it.

" I know," he said, waving his hand lazily, " but it'll make me happy. And you'll hate it. And as for Jack ... " he laughed again, " he's going to be chained to the wall, and he'll see everything you do to me, and I do to you. He'll see all the disgusted faces I know you're going to pull, and he'll hear all the begging and the pleading you do to make me stop, and he'll see every tear and hear every cry when you realise you can't stop me. "

Lily was close to tears now, and she kept shaking her head.

" Oh yes," the Master said, folding his arms over his chest and smirking at her in that horrible way, " so where was I ... oh yes ... you're on your knees and you have to do exactly what I say. Then I'm going to drag you up, shed my own clothes, get so close to you, and then get inside you. I'm going to thrust backwards and forwards while you stand there, unable to stop me. I'm going to enjoy it so much. "

She was speechless and as much as she didn't want to, she could picture it inside her head. She bit her lip and tried to shove the images away, but they wouldn't go.

He continued, loving how he could torture her without even touching her, " Then when I'm done, I'll let go of you and you'll slump to the ground, probably snivelling and crying. Jack will be stood there, wanting to look after you and protect you and all things noble and lovely, but he won't be able to. He'll be completely powerless. And isn't that brilliant? "

" Please," she said, " please don't do any of it. Or at least, don't put Jack through that. There's really no need. I mean ... _why _are you doing all of this? "

" Because I can," he said.

" What happens if I get pregnant? " she asked him.

" Not if, but _when," _the Master told her confidently as she sank back against the pillows.

" Yeah, whatever, but what happens? Are you still going to bully me, and abuse me, and rape me? " she asked, scared to talk to him, but needing to ask.

He seemed to consider that for a moment, before he answered, " Well, of course I don't want to do anything to harm the baby. But I can't be sure that you won't try and get rid of it somehow, because you don't want it. No, when you're pregnant, you'll be moved somewhere I can keep an eye on you - you won't be left alone. "

" And the abuse? " she asked him.

He shrugged, " We'll see how it goes. The baby will be my priority, and I won't do anything to risk that, so I suppose I'll have to be more gentle with you, especially as you get bigger and the baby develops. _However, _if you disobey me and disrespect me, you will be dealt with. It wouldn't hurt the baby if I hit you somewhere else. You'll still do as I say. "

" And what happens when it's born? " she asked him, slightly mocking, " are we all going to play happy families? Are you going to be a doting daddy? "

" Don't turn this into a joke, my pet," he said.

She scoffed but said nothing.

" I'll be back the day after tomorrow," he told her, " and then it happens, regardless of what you want. "

She shook her head, " Please .... no. "

" We've been through this," he said firmly, " _it's happening. _And if you don't fight it so much, it'll all be easier for you. I'll see you soon, my pet. "

When he left, she closed her eyes again, trying to make it all go away. Easier if she consented, he said? Nothing could possibly make this easy. He was gonna rape her multiple times ... nothing could be easy about that.

Everything about the situation was wrong. It was going to ruin how she thought about herself, the way her mind worked. It would change her whole life when she got pregnant - because he had nearly a year until Martha and the Doctor's plan came into action and they were saved (if it worked, that was, but it had to, because the Doctor would do anything), and it was more than likely he'd get her pregnant with all of that time.

Then it would ruin her relationship with Jack. Jack promised he'd still love her, and she knew he would, but she also knew if he had to watch her being tortured, it would affect him so badly, and affect her. For one thing, would she be able to ever be with Jack after the Master violated her? And what happened when they got off the Valiant - assuming the Doctor's plan worked - and she was left with a baby? Would Jack help her raise it? She knew he'd always be there for her, but she couldn't imagine how he'd feel being a dad to the Master's child.

And would she even manage to escape from the Master? Would he really let her go and take his child away from. She really hoped she wouldn't get pregnant, but at the same time, if she didn't, he'd rape her the entire year. Maybe once she was pregnant, he'd leave her alone. Though she'd have the baby to deal with then.

Then there was the Doctor? She loved her dad so fiercely, and he was so protective of her, that she couldn'timagine how he was taking to all of this.

There was so much to think about, that she didn't know how to cope with it all.

It was impossible.

***

The next day, all Lily did was lay in her bed. She had no idea what to do or what to say when the Master came for her the next day, and she needed to stay strong, she knew that much.

The only problem was, she didn't know how.

All she ever needed was the Doctor - her dad - and Jack - the love of her life - but she couldn't have either of them. And even when she got to see them, she wouldn't be able to be happy, since he was there, and he'd ruin it all.

She knew she'd get to see Jack tomorrow, but as much as she loved him and wanted to be with him, she didn't want to the way she was going to tomorrow. Because tomorrow, he was going to have to watch her suffer without being able to help, and it was going to kill him. And knowing that was going to kill her too.

She wanted Jack to hug her and tell her everything was alright, but she didn't want him to stand by and watch her get raped. She'd much rather not see him at all. For a very long time.

She'd rather be anywhere than aboard the Valiant.

***

The next morning she woke up dreading the day ahead. She got dressed into the revealing dress he'd forced on her slowly and reluctantly, and then sat back on her bed.

He didn't come that morning, and she hated that. She knew he'd come today, because he wated to make a start on his plan right away - she knew how urgent he was for her to have his baby soon, so he could have his children.

She also knew he was making her wait, because it would torture her more, having to sit and wait with no idea what was going to happen to her.

Tish came to bring breakfast, and looked over at Lily.

" I'm sorry," she muttered.

Lily raised her eyebrows, " I take it you've heard. "

Tish nodded, " All he's been doing is bragging about how he's going to .... do it .... today. I think te whole ship knows. "

" Brilliant," she muttered sarcastically, " he's gonna violate me in the most awful ways, so at least everyone knows what's going on. " She sighed, " have you seen Jack? "

Tish nodded, " I fed him his breakfast before I came up here. He's .... he's horrified, and he's furious. He knows he's gonna be made to watch it all. He's already trying to pull the chains off the wall. "

" Sounds like him," Lily nodded, trying to raise a smile but now quite managing it.

Tish tried to smile back as she put the tray of breakfast down on the desk, " He says to tell you ... "

" Yeah yeah," Lily said, this time managing a real smile, " he loves me. I know. He might not to for much longer. "

" He said you'd say that," Tish nodded, glancing at Lily, " and he says to tell you that's a load of rubbish. "

" Thanks," Lily muttered, although she was still certain that he wouldn't love her by the time the Master was through with her. It wouldn't be the same, she thought. They wouldn't be that lighthearted happy couple - they'd be tainted by abuse and pain and they'd have to pick the pieces up, and if there was a baby, they'd never be rid of it.

Tish left the room and Lily was alone again. She just wanted to go and talk to her dad, talk to Jack, shoot the Master, and for all of them to get into the TARDIS and fly away.

She might have been against killing the Master in the first place, but he'd already caused her so much pain, and he wasn't even started, that she'd changed her mind. He needed to be shot. No, he needed to be killed, but made to suffer.

Tish didn't bring lunch, and she didn't bring dinner either. Lily was left sitting in her room, praying nothing else would happen to her, and she wouldn't be made to do what the Master wanted her to do, though she knew it was hopeless.

He left her alone all day, waiting, and when the door banged open, in the way that Lily always jumped at in fear. She glanced down at the little watch on her wrist and looked at the time - it was 8pm.

" Ah," he said, standing in the middle of the room and holding his arms out towards her, " you look lovely. Good job you're feeling so much better, if you were ever really ill at all. Ready to go? "

" Ready to be bullied, humilated, degraded and raped, you mean? " she asked, getting off the bed and standing in front of him.

He tutted, " Glass always half empty, that's what your problem is, my pet. Now come on, we're going. "

Her whole body shook as she stood before him, dreading what was coming next and having no idea what to do or say. She wanted to curl into a little ball, tuck herself into the corner and never come out of it.

" D-do we have to? " she asked him, " please ... just think about it. You can stop all of this right now, and you don't have to do any of it. Please ... just don't. "

" And please just don't argue with me," he said, mimicking her tone, " this is happening, whether you like it or not, now _come on. _"

She didn't move and he took a step closer to her, glaring, " If you don't do what I say, you know you'll get into trouble. I'll just drag you there. And if you resist that, I've got a lovely powerful laser screwdriver which will make you do exactly what I want you to. Failing that, I can just overpower you myself, as you well know. Now, make your choice - you walk with me, or I drag you there. In fact, I might just pick you up and carry you. "

He offered out his arm and she didn't take it, so instead, he grasped her arm halfway between her elbow and her shoulder and dragged her forwards. They went into the corridor and were followed by two guards, so Lily couldn't fight against him.

He kept hold of her arm tightly as they walked, and was grinning widely, getting a huge kick out of what he was doing.

" Now," he told her as they walked, " we're going to go down to the engine room, and we're going to pay Jack a little visit. As I've already explained, I want Jack to be witness to this. "

" You're despicable," she told him as they rounded a corner.

He shrugged, " Sticks and stones, my pet. You'll grow to love me soon enough. And if not me, then our little bundle of joy. "

" No way," she spat - she'd never love him, but she didn't know about a baby. She was certain she could never love something which was part-Master, but if it was half of her too, she didn't know. It was going to be something so new to her, that she didn't know _how _she'd feel.

" Yes way," he replied with a little chuckle, " oh, and don't worry about your dear old dad. I've told him all about what I'm going to do to you. Given him all the sordid details, though I'm not going to make him watch. No, it's much more fun making him watch his _precious _Earth falling to rack and ruin. "

" What else have you done to him? " Lily asked, " my Dad's alright, isn't he? "

She didn't know what was happening him, and she just wanted to know that he was alright. He was her only family, so she needed him to be alright. And he was the only one who could end this in a year's time when the countdown finished, and everyone thought his name and broke the Master's spell.

" You worry too much, my pet," the Master told her, steering her around another corner with the tight grip on her arm, " I suppose I'll have to take you to see him soon. He should see you looking all depressed and beaten down. Knowing that he's failed you as a father. He's failed to look after you properly, and he needs to know that. " He sighed, " I'll tell you what, I'm going to be a much better dad to our baby than your dad could ever be to you. "

" He's the _best _dad! " Lily snapped, stopping still and refusing to move.

The Master stopped still too and hit her straight across the face sharply with his free hand. She hissed and that blow was much harder than any other slap he'd given her. She brought her free hand to her lip when she tasted something and when she looked at her finger, there was blood.

" Oh dear," the Master said, moving from that violent and terrifying man to the faux-caring and sweet act, " have I given you a bust lip? Oh, dear, that's going to hurt when I try to kiss you, isn't it? "

He wiped the blood away with the same hand he'd hit her with and then popped his finger in his mouth, sucking her blood away from his finger and smirking at her, " How many times will I have to tell you, pet, that if you do as I tell you to, and you don't disrespect me, that we'll get on fine? You don't shout at me, and we don't argue and fall out. It's so simple. "

She simply glared at him and wiped the rest of the blood away on the back of her hand.

" Come on," he said, "we're wasting time. "

And then he saw forcing her down the corridor again, until they stopped in front of a thick iron door. Lily looked at the door and then looked back at the Master.

" You're really going to make me do this? " she asked, though she knew the answer.

" Yep," he said, popping the p on the end, " now come on, let's have a smile. You're about to see your beloved Jack, that's good, right? And we're about to try and create a life. With any luck it'll work on the first go. Luck seems to have been on my side recently, so I don't see why it won't work. We're going to create a life," he repeated, " that's good, right? "

She just swallowed hard, and then he rolled his eyes.

" I _do _wish you'd talk to me properly sometimes, sweetcheeks," he said.

" Yeah, well keep on wishing, " she said, spitting a little bit more blood out.

The Master rolled his eyes, " Don't make me hit you again," he said, " this is all about having fun. "

With that he nodded to the gaurds and Lily braced herself for what was about to come. The guards opened the door and the Master nodded at them, telling them he'd be fine to be locked in with Jack, because Jack couldn't get to him. Jack was defenceless.

Lily flinched as he shoved her inside the room, and the heavy metal door slammed behind them.

She looked straight ahead, and the first thing she saw was Jack. There he was, dirty faced, grubby from the much and dust coming from the engines. His arms were chained securely to the wall and his legs were too. He struggled against his chains when he saw her, but there was no way they'd be coming out any time soon.

He'd been trying already, but he couldn't get them to break. It was going to take a lot more work than that.

" Jack," she breathed lightly, trying to smile when she saw him, though she couldn't. For a moment she forgot the Master was there and or the minute, it was just her and Jack

She darted forwards, not thinking of anything else, and intended to throw herself at him - only problem being he couuldn't hold her, he was all chained to the wall. The other problem was the Master, who just sneered at them.

" Touching," he said striding across the room behind Lily and grabbing her at the waist, wrenching her away from Jack when she'd been so close to leaning up and kissing him.

Lily tried to push him away, but he only held her tightly, grabbing her and shoving her against the other wall.

" Don't treat her like that! " Jack snapped, " what's she ever done to you? She doesn't deserve this! You can't do this! " he roared, trying to move against his chains, though he really couldn't.

The Master laughed, " Such a reaction from giving her a _little shove? _How are you going to react when I've done so much more? "

" I'm going to kill you," Jack spat as the Master moved to stand in front of Lily, his back to her as he sneered at Jack. " I will," Jack vowed, " it doesn't matter what it makes, but I'm going to make you pay for hurting her. Everything you to do her, I'll remember, and it'll be one punch for every finger you've laid on her, every time. "

" Promises, promises," the Master shrugged, " _I'm _the one who can kill you, as I've proved many, many times already. Not that I'm going to kill you right now, of course. I don't want you to miss out on all of this. "

" You're one sick son of a bitch," Jack growled.

The Master shrugged, " You're just jealous because I get to screw your girlfriend. "

" Why do you have to do this? " Jack demanded.

" Because I can," the Master said, ignoring the rest of Jack's shouts as he turned around to face Lily.

All Lily felt was fear and sheer terror as the Master grabbed her arms too quickly for her to move and pinned her against the wall, exactly as he'd told her he was going to do.

She tried to shove him away but all he did was move her a little away from the wall and then slam her against it harder. She tried to shove him off again, but he did the same, harder still, until she got the message that she couldn't go anywhere.

She could hear Jack's protest in the background, and hear the noise he made trying to get out of his chains, but she was trying to block everything out. She tried to block out everything because she didn't want to remember it.

Everything was happening so fast and so violently that she couldn't quite make sense of what he was doing. He was so violent and harsh as he hissed insults at her and told her all the nasty little tings he was going to do to her, and she was only half listening, trying to force everything to go away.

Her first sob came when he put his hands on her shoulders and tried to force her onto her knees. She kept shaking her head and protesting so much that he got bored.

" Fine," he hissed, " if you won't service me properly this time, you'll certainly do it next time. For now we'll get straight down to making our baby. "

He kept one hand on her arm, and pressed his weight against her to keep her there, while his other hand moved to the hem of her dress. He yanked it up over her thighs while she kept on sobbing and begging and pleading with him to leave her alone and make it all stop.

He had the dress bunched around her waist and he soon ripped her underwear from her too, leaving her bottom half completely exposed to him. He grinned at what he saw and she closed her eyes, trying to get rid of all of it, trying to block it, because everytime she tried to shove him away, he was stronger and he pushed her backwards and hurt her more.

He unbuckled his trousers and before she knew it, he was ready to take her. She looked at him through her tears and shook her head.

" Please," she sniffed, " this is the last chance ... before you ... please ... "

" Shhh, my pet," he said, shaking his head, " I'm sure you'll find me very satisfying. I'm an attractive, well endowed man, pet. This could be fun. "

" I hate you," she said, refusing to look down at him, and refusing to see what he was about to do.

" No, you only think you do," he whispered, grabbing her arms again and pinning her to the wall more firmly than ever. He grinned at the sight of her and then called over his shoulder at Jack, " are you ready, Jack? Are you watching all of this?! I'm going to _make _your girlfriend screw me, and I'm going to love this. And you can see _all _of it. "

Lily hadn't really been listening to Jack's shouts and threats, trying to block them out because they scared her just as much as the Master did. Everything about this scared her.

Jack was still trying to break free, but he knew it wasn't going to happen. Watching his beautiful, brilliant girl - the woman he'd waited for for so long, and the only woman he'd ever really loved - being subjected to this was the worst thing he could imagine. He'd promised her he'd take her of her and look after her forever, and here she was, about to be so damaged, in a way that would stick with her forever.

He was determined that he'd stll be there at the end of it all. When the Doctor's plan came through, he'd take Lily to Torchwood, and never let her out of his sight again.

He hated the thought of her being pregnant. He'd thought about having his own family with her, and _he_ was going to ruin that. He felt sure she'd get pregnant by the Master because he had so much time to try, it was bound to happen in the end. He knew that he'd hate it if she had a baby with him, but he also knew he'd stick by her and look after her, no matter what.

" You're a dead man, Saxon! " he roared, " you're a sick bastard, and you're going to pay for this! "

The Master just shrugged," I hope you're watchin carefully, Jack. 'Cause this is it, and there's nothing you can do. And doesn't that just make your heart break? "

Then he turned back to Lily and she cried out with a horrible mixture of pain, shock, horror and terror and anguish as he moved one of his hands to her legs, rearraging it to give himself better access and he plunged into her.

She tried to block it out and he moved backwards and forwards, deeper and deeper inside her, pushing his entire body against hers and breathing right into her ear. He was moaning and groaning, enjoying it far too much.

She sobbed as he violated her and all she could do was close her eyes - unable to watch him so close to her - and wish as hard as she could, for it to go away. She knew at that moment that she'd rather be dead, and she knew she hated him more than she'd ever thought it possible to hate someone.

" Oh, yes," he moaned in her ear, his voice giving her chills, as if everything wasn't bad enough as it was, " god, you're good, my pet. Aren't you .... just ... having ... so .... much ... fun? " He moaned with pleasure between every word, panting and licking his lips as he worked.

Lily could only sob and plead with him to go away, but it wasn't happening.

As for Jack, Jack was stood watching, and wished that he could die. Die and stay dead. He loved Lily and he couldn't think of anything worse than having to watch her being hurt and raped by the evil man. He wished he could take all the pain for her. He'd do anything, but as it was, he couldn't do anything. He kept struggling against the chains, but it was having no effect. It was going to take a long time to break those.

The tears were the worst thing, he thought. And her cries and begs. Knowing she was so scared and she was so defenceless was the thing that broke Jack's heart right there and then.

Lily was almost suprised when it was over. She knew he was close to finishing when he quickened up, fingernails digging into her arm, holding her leg tighter and lifting it up, plunging deeper and moaning louder.

When he withdrew, he let out a final, long groan and let go of her. With no-one to force her to stand there, she slumped against the wall and slid down it, to the ground, all noise gone, as she cried silently.

She pulled the material over herself and didn't dare look up at Jack or the Master, covering herself up and wrapping her arms around herself, as if trying to curl into a ball and be invisible.

She cried silently, and as Jack watched her, that hurt him even more than her crying out and begging, because he knew she just couldn't stop crying.

The Master was so pleased with him, and when he'd sorted himself out, he looked first at Jack, " How about that? " he asked him, looking so happy at what he'd done, " Do you still love her? I can guarantee you won't when you've seen that 10 .. 20 ... 30 more times. "

" I'll always love her," Jack replied, looking at where Lily curled into a ball, not looking up or around at anything.

" No you won't," the Master scoffed. Then he laughed, pulling his laser screwdriver out of his pocket, " do you want to know something, Jack? Shall I tell you something? " He looked at Lily and then back at Jack, " She's absolutely insatiable. If only she was willing, it would have made it better, but I'll give her time. It'll get better and better. Oh yes, she's so much fun. "

Jack opened his mouth, but the Master shook his head, raising the screwdriver. " Bored now," he said, before pressing the button, emitting the bright green flash, and killing him.

Lily looked up when she heard Jack's groan and stared when she saw him hanging there, dead.

" You did very well, my pet," the Master said, patronisingly, as he crossed the room and grabbed her arm, pulling her to her feet. She whimpered when he touched her and he rolled his eyes, " don't be like that. What we've done is _good. _It's a _good _thing. "

" No," Lily whispered, so quiet he almost didn't hear her.

" Oh yes," he said, looking towards the door, " now come on, how about I get you back to your room? You've done as I asked so you can go back to your room unharmed. "

" Unharmed? " she whispered, not meeting his eyes, " you just raped me. "

" I told you it would be easier if you consented. Look on the bright side, the baby might be on its way soon enough," the Master said, pulling her towards the door.

He ecorted her back to her room in silence and when they got to her room, he didn't enter. He stopped at the door, told her he'd see her again soon enough, and then left her.

Then she was left to deal with what he'd done to her, as she tried to think of anything else, and to piece herself back together.

The first thing she did was get in the shower, determined to wash him off her, even though he'd done it now, no going back, and no changing that. When the water was running and she was stood all alone, she cried.

***

**Author's Note: I don't know how well everyone thinks this it written, but it's so hard to write and try to do properly.  
I still haven't even decided if there's actually going to be a baby born, and if the baby's going to go to Torchwood or whatever**

**Also, I've looked up how Gallifreyan children age, but I've got a few different accounts - some say it's the same as human ageing up to a certain point when they stay in the body of their first regeneration. Others say Gallifreyan children age slower than humans, but others say they could grow up much quicker. I just wondered if anyone actually knew anything about it?**

**And as always, feel free to give me any ideas, or let me know how you felt about this chapter. **


	18. The Next Move

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**Author's Note: I have moved the rating up - didn't realise it was only K+ and when I started writing it, I had no idea I was going to write it this way.**

**I've decided have a massive time skip, because otherwise we're all going to get fed up of it, and we all know what's happening during the year, so it'll be this chapter and then maybe straight onto Last of the Time Lords. This is just going to be a short filler thing to get from her ordeal to Last of the Time Lords. **

Chapter Eighteen

The next few days were the same, and soon the days were weeks, the weeks were months, and the Master was no better off.

Three months had passed and they'd now been aboard the Valiant almost four months. The Master had continued to try to impregnate Lily, but it hadn't worked so far. This made him angry and frustrated, but it made Lily very relieved.

He hadn't kept her locked in room all the time since they'd started trying for the baby, because he said he wanted to keep an eye on her. She'd been allowed to sit around the table at the conference room, where she was still bored, but she could see her Dad, and sometimes he brought Jack out too.

On this particular morning, the Master had Lily escorted to the conference room, where Jack and the Doctor were sitting around the table, Lucy and the Master standing at the head.

" Ah, my pet," the Master smirked, as she took a seat at the table, beside Jack.

Jack noticed a new bruise on her arm and reached over to take her hand. There were a few occasions were they'd been allowed to sit together in the confernce room, beause the Master was sick of both of them demanded to see each other.

Jack was a little hurt at the way she flinched when his hand touched hers, but he gave her an encouraging smile when she looked at him wide eyed. She nodded and allowed him to take her hand gently.

" What are we doing here? " Lily asked quietly, looking up at him.

He shrugged, " I'm _sick _of your dear old dad whinging to see you, and as for your precious Jack, he doesn't shut up, so I thought I'd give you all half an hour together. I'm feeling generous. "

**" **That's not like you," Jack spat.

**" **I know," he smirked, " but I'm in a very good mood today, because I'm about to decide which country to destroy next. It's going to be even more fun than when we all watched Japan burning. But anyway ... Lucy and I are going to go and make our decision so I thought I'd leave you lot to it .... we'll be back in an hour or so. Have fun. "

He offered out his arm to Lucy and the two of them made for the door, Lily pleased that she'd get the chance to talk to Jack and the Doctor. The only other people around were a few guards, and Lily had learnt that they were only loyal to the Master under duress.

When the Master wasn't around, the guards weren't so bad. In fact, Lily had learnt that were actually decent people being bullied into doing the job.

" Oh," the Master called over his shoulder as he and Lucy stopped at the door, " Lily and I wil be paying you another visit this evening, Jack. "

Jack growled but didn't have time to say anything as the Master had swept away.

Lily looked at Jack and at her dad, and didn't know what to say to them. They were both watching her, looking at the bruises on her and the way she looked so downtrodden.

" This can't carry on," the Doctor said, leaning forwards from where he sat on Jack's other side, leaning in and speaking quietly so the guards couldn't hear them.

Jack leaned in a little too, and he and the Doctor exchanged a look. Lily frowned, wondering what was going on between them, and just looked at them.

**" **It's just over eight months until launch," the Doctor continued, looking at Lily urgently, " which means eight months until the plan is put into action, and eight months until this is all over. You can't stay here and be abused and ... and .... you know ... for all that time. "

" What option is there? " Lily whispered as Jack played with her hand lightly.

The Doctor and Jack exchanged looks, and then Jack took over, " I've had a lot of time on my own, and the guards got bored of hearing me shout at them. We ... we had a little conversation and I found out that the two who usually stand outside my room aren't exactly loyal to the Master. "

" So what? " she asked, frowning, completely confused - there was no way they could get out of here, could they? They were ... they were trapped.

" Over there," the Doctor said, nodding towards the guards who'd brought Jack here, and were now standing by the door. Lily followed his gaze and one of the two men she recognised from guarding Jack's room, was watching them. Lily gathered that whatever the Doctor and Jack's plan was, they were in on it.

Jack nodded, " Listen to me. These two said how sorry they felt for you, and after a lot of persuasion that we don't need to go into, I managed to persuade them to do me a favour ... get you away. "

" How? " Lily whispered, realising that he and the Doctor had been talking between themselves before she got here, and realising it was a miracle that they'd been left alone long enough to talk, and a miracle that they'd got a plan.

" It ... it should work," Jack said, " we need to get you off here, but we don't have a teleport. And he could find you on Earth, so we need the TARDIS key back, for the perception filter. "

" And we don't have it," Lily said.

" Don't be so negative," Jack said, flashing her that brilliant grin before turning around to make sure no-one was watching, and then reaching into his shirt and pulling out the TARDIS key on a piece of string.

" What? " she whispered, shaking her head.

" Don't just look at it, take it before someone sees," Jack said. She knew he was right and she took it from it right away, hiding it in her bra quickly.

**" **We need you to be safe, Lils," the Doctor said to his daughter, " and the only way to do that is to get you off here. Jack got one of the guards to sneak into the Master's room and take the key. He could only find one, which means you're going to have to go alone, but it doesn't matter. You don't worry about us. You're the one in the most danger, so you just go. "

Lily could hardly believe this was happening, and she didn't know what to make of it, though she needed to get off this ship, and get somewhere else.

" But how? " she whispered, the three of them close together, " so we've got a perception filter - that hides me, it doesn't get me off here. "

Jack grinned and reached into his shirt again, this time pulling out her laser spanner and pressing it into her hand. Shocked to see it, she stared, but once again took it from him and hid it.

" Dad," she whispered, " how do I do it? You must have thought of something? "

The Doctor nodded, " You need to do this quickly, before he comes back, and before anyone else finds out about it. You've got to get there. "

" What the hell am I going to do? " she whispered, " this is insane! "

" No," the Doctor said, " I promised you, just before we came on the Valiant, that nothing would harm you and I failed, but now I'm getting you away. All that matters to me, and to Jack, is that you're safe. "

Jack nodded, " All that matters," he echoed.

This was almost too much to take in, but Lily was willing to take whatever they threw at her - she needed to be anywhere else than here.

" Here's what you do," the Doctor said, " you're going to leave this room, claiming you need the bathroom or something, and one of Jack's guards will escort you. Except you'll go to the TARDIS. He's ruined the TARDIS, so you can't use it. I'd tell you to destroy the paradox machine, but it might not be safe - we don't know what the paradox is yet. "

" Then what do you want me to do? " she whispered.

" Under the console," he said, " there's that tray, right, of wires and all that other stuff. You know the one I mean? "

She nodded.

He went on urgently, " Hopefully it will still be there - it's hidden against the console, so he won't know it's there. The guard took some other things from the Master's office - bits and pieces from his drawers - he'll give them to you, and you'll recognise them when you see them, I don't have time to go into it. "

**" **So I have the parts from the TARDIS and the parts a guard gives me, right? Then what? " she whispered, listening intently as he explained it all, clinging to Jack's hand tighter now, with more hope now she knew she might have a chance of leaving.

" Then," the Doctor continued quietly, " you'll know when you see it all ... you're a clever girl and I've taught you well. If you sort things out with your screwdriver, you should be able to make a manipulator. "

" Seriously? " she asked, sitting up straighter, shocked and thrilled by it.

He nodded, " Yep. It won't be a very good one mind you, and it'll burn out after one trip, but one trip is all you need. Now, the last person to teleport off this ship was Martha, correct? "

Lily nodded.

" Then it will take you to Martha," he told her with a grin, " not just the place Martha teleported to, but the energy Martha created when she left will be tracked, and the manipulator will take you to her. Once you're there, you'll be alright. Martha's got Jack's manipulator, and you can join in what she's doing. You'll be alright. "

Lily stared at him in shock, " This ... this will work? "

" You can do it," he told her, " just put your spanner to good use. You can do it. "

" What about you and Jack? " she whispered.

Jack squeezed her hand, " You listen to me," he said, seriously, determined to get through to her, " it doesn't matter about anything else. The worst that can happen to me is I'll die for a little bit. You're the only thing I care about Lily, the only thing I love, and I need you to be alright. Me and your dad are going to be fine if we know you're alright. You've got to do this. Imagine what might happen otherwise. "

" Jack," she started.

He shook his head, " No. This is final," he told her, " look at what's already happened. You need to be away from this and you need to heal. You go with Martha and you spread the stories with her. "

" Jack's right," the Doctor said, with a slight smile, " maybe the first time we've agreed on anything in a _long _time. It's our job to look after you, so you're going to go. "

She nodded, " Yeah ... yeah I am. " She laughed a little, " this is mental. Is this really going to work? He's going to go mad when he finds out I'm gone. "

" Don't worry about it," said the Doctor, " we can't go over it again. He might be back before he said he would. You need to just leave. "

Lily nodded, hardly believing her luck, and knowing they needed to go straight away.

She looked around the room and then decided that she'd better get going. She looked at her dad, " I love you," she told him, " I love you, Dad. I'm going to ... to get down there and make you proud. "

" I know you are," he nodded, wanting to hug her and never let go, but settling for a nod, " I love you too. Look after yourself. "

She nodded and looked at Jack, whose hang she was still clinging to.

" You'll be sick of hearing this soon, but I love you," he said, drawing a smile out of her, " you've already come through so much and now you're going to get a break. And remember - it doesn't matter what happens, because I'll always love you just as much as I always have. "

She nodded, finding it hard to be close to him, even though she knew he wasn't going to hurt her. Jack was the person she could trust most (along with her dad).

" I ... " she started, struggling to find the words, " I know. "

She cursed herself for not saying it back, as his face fell, but he seemed to understand. She hated how this was going, but he shook his head.

" We'll be fine," he told her, " eight little months. We can manage that. After all, I've already waited over 100 years for you. "

" Yeah," she said, dropping his hand and she stood up and braced herself. She pushed her chair back and was ready to leave, but then she looked at Jack, " I ... I love you," she told him.

He smiled, " Good luck. "

" You'll be fine," the Doctor told her.

She simply smiled at them before approaching the guard.

***

The plan worked exactly as she'd been told it would. The kindly guard led her down the corridors, and no-one questioned it because she was with an armed guard.

Once she had all the pieces she'd been told she'd need, she could see exactly how the plan was going to work. She pulled the screwdriver from out of her top, while the guard kept watch for her. She didn't have time to think about anything other than what she was doing, and how crazy this was.

When it was done, she pressed the button and hoped for the best.

Her head started spinning and the next thing she knew, she'd on the cold hard ground in a busy city. She groaned and got to her feet, looking around - she was surrounded by terraced houses, and she didn't know where she was.

She was rubbing her forehead with her hand when that familiar voice asked, " Lily? "

Lily looked up, and Martha was standing right in front of her. She stared at her as if she was a figment of her imagination, and Martha did the same, then Martha shrieked and hurtled forwards, trying to hug her friend.

Lily stiffened, and Martha pulled away, looking her up and down, " I can't believe you're really here! How did you get off there? And ... " she stopped, frowning, " what the hell's happened to you? "

Lily stood there, in her short skirt, and the vest, bruises down her arms and a mark across her face, and just shrugged, " Lots of things. I had to escape. "

Martha was shrugging out of her jacket already and offering it to Lily - she was well wrapped up, and it looked like Lily needed to be too.

" What about the Doctor? And my mum and dad, and Tish? " Martha asked, " and Jack? "

" They're ... they're not too bad," Lily said, before shaking her head, " well no, they're up thee with him, so they're not in a good way, but he hasn't hurt your family. Keeps killing Jack, and he's made him watch .... well. Jack'll be alright. He's strong. And my Dad .... he'll be ok too. "

" I can't believe you're here," Martha repeated.

Lily nodded, pulling the jacket around her, " I'm finding it hard to believe myself. It all happened so fast ... but ... I couldn't stay any longer. I got out of it. "

Martha nodded, not sure what to say, and just smiled, " Come on," she said, " whatever's happened up there, we're alright here. I'm staying at a little place around the corner for tonight, so you can come too. We'll get some lunch and chill, and then this afternoon, we've got to visit some people. "

" Where's here, exactly? " Lily asked.

Martha smiled as they started to walk, " This is what's left of Canberra, Australia. A lot of it got destroyed when the Toclafane came in, but here we are. "

Lily sighed, " Yeah, here we are. "

" Come on," Martha said, " we've got to go around and tell everyone how brilliant the Doctor is, and then he'll be able to defeat the Master and end all of this. But we've got to do this first. We're the only hope of ending this. "

Lily smiled, pleased that she was away from the Valiant, and ready to sink her teeth into their task, " Yeah," she said, " we can do this. "

*******

**Author's Note: I wasn't going to write an escape, but I decided it there's been enough angst, and the reviews swayed it for me. I'm sort of wishing I hadn't written chapters 16 and 17 how I did, but I think this chapter starts to turn it around a bit. Don't know if the way i wrote it was much good, and if it was the best way to escape, but at least she got to escape and the story can move on. **


	19. Last of the Time Lords

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**Author's Note: Here it is - Last of the Time Lords, with another massive time-skip.**

Chapter Nineteen

The months passed far too slowly for Lily's liking, and it took her a long time to feel better about herself, and to feel more confident.

She hated everything the Master had done and it had made her feel dirty and ashamed, but the longer she spent away from him, the better she could feel. She wasn't the same as she'd been before, and she wasn't sure if she'd ever be, but she was slowly coming to terms with what had happened.

Her problem now was, she was more closed off, she didn't trust people as easily and when she came into contact with other men, she was very wary.

She had to keep reminding herself that she'd been lucky. As much as she hated to admit it, she'd got off lightly. If he'd had his way, he'd have abused her all year long and for as long as if took for her to get pregnant. As it was it had been over three months that had terrified and scarred her, but she'd had so much time since to get better.

She and Martha had been extremely busy carrying out their plan anyway, and it gave Lily something to focus on. It was good for her, and she knew that by the time it was over, they'd be able to try and go back to how they were before.

On this particular day, the two women - who'd become even firmer friends than they'd been before, due to spending all that time together, trying to save the world - were back in Britain, ready to meet Professor Docherty.

They were both determined to carry out their plan and get to the Valiant again. Once they'd seen Professor Docherty, that would be it - one visit to the woman, who would then probably call the Master on them, and then he'd force them onto the Valiant.

She was worried about what would happen when she saw the Master again, worried what he'd do to her, but she told herself she wasn't going to let him hurt her again.

Not this time.

He'd bullied and abused her, and when she came across him again, she wasn't going to stand for it any more. She'd faced all sorts of monsters, and she was the Doctor's daughter - she was strong. She was determined that when she met him again, she'd punch him. Right in the face. God, she was going to take pleasure from that.

Lily and Martha got out of the little boat into the shallow water and waded towards the beach.

" You know," Martha called as they did so, " I can't actually believe what we've done. To think it's been a year since it all started. "

Lily glanced across at her, " This is it," she said, " the end of it all. " She sighed, " God, I can't wait to see my dad again. And ... and Jack. "

Martha looked at her - she knew how much Lily feared her relationship with Jack would be damaged as a reusult to what happened to them both. " You and Jack are gonna be fine," Martha told her with a smile, " I might not have seen the pair of you together much, but from what I saw, I know he loves you no matter what. "

" Yeah," Lily nodded, trying to push her stupid thoughts aside, " Course he does. "

They got to the beach and as they stood there - Lily now wearing a pair of dark jeans and a black hooded top she'd picked up on their travels - a man approached them.

" What's your name then? " Martha asked the man.

" Tom Milligan," the man said, " no need to ask who you two are. The famous Martha Jones, and Lily Harkness. "

Lily had said that her surname was Harkness for a while, even though she and Jack had never even talked about marriage. But using his name had always made her feel better when she thought he was dead. She realised she'd have to tell Jack she'd taken his name for her own. She smiled slightly when she realised there was no many conversations they had yet to have - there were 138 years of his life she'd missed out on.

" How long since you were last in Britain? " asked Tom.

" 365 days," Martha replied, " it's been a long year. "

They started walking up the beach and Tom looked at them both, " So, what's the plan? " he asked.

Lily shook her head, " Professor Docherty - we need to see her right away. Can you get us there? "

" I can get you inside," Tom nodded, " But what's it all for? What's so important about her? "

Martha frowned, " No," she said, " the more you know, the more risk you're at," she said, shaking her head. Lily watched her with a little smile - Martha had done so well in the last year. If it wasn't for Martha, the plan wouldn't have worked. Martha was going to save them all.

Tom shrugged, " Fine then," he said," but there's a lot of people depending on you two, you know. You're legends. "

" And what does the legend say? " Martha asked.

" That you two sailed the Atlantic and walked across America. That you, Martha, were the only person to get out of Japan alive. " Martha Jones," they said, " she's gonna save the world. " And then they said there was another girl joining you. " He looked at Lily and Lily nodded in acknowledgement, " bit late for saving the world," he sighed.

Martha pointed over at his truck, " How come you can drive? Don't you get stopped? "

" Medical staff," he replied, " used to be in paediatrics back in the old days. But that gives me a license to travel so I can help out at labour camps. "

Martha smiled at Lily and Lily grinned.

" Great," Martha said, " we're travelling with a Doctor. "

Lily nodded, " That's the only way to travel," she said, as the three of them got into Dr Milligan's truck. As he started to drive, she realised that she might not be travelling with her dad for much longer - she didn't think Jack would leave Torchwood and his team, and she wanted Jack, so she was going to have to choose. She wanted to be with Jack, but she didn't want her dad to be unhappy, because he'd always been there for her, and she needed him.

Martha and Tom made idle conversation as they drove, and Lily didn't bother to listen. She felt a bit like she was playing the third wheel to them, since they were so obviously getting on well. Lily was too busy sitting and thinking about what would happen when all of this was over.

When the truck stopped and they got out, Lily followed behind Martha and Tom and they crossed the barren land carefully. They needed to keep down and found themselves crouching behind large rocks.

Martha was looking at something, and Lily sighed when she looked over her shoulder and saw the Master's face carved into the rocky valley - it had been all over the place, like he was taunting her and she couldn't get away from him. She couldn't wait for it to be over.

" All over the Earth," she said, shaking her head and turning away, " He's even carved himself into Mont Rushmore. Everywhere I turn, he's still there. "

" Not for much longer," Martha said.

" Best to keep down," Tom told them," Here we go. " As they peered over the rocks a little, he continued, " the entire south coast of England ... converted into shipyards. They bring in slave labour every morning. Break up cars, houses, anything, just for the metal. Building a fleet out of scrap. "

" You should see Russia," Martha replied, " That's shipyard number one. There's 100,000 rockets ready for war. "

" War? " Tom frowned, " with who? "

" Rest of the universe," Lily replied simply.

Martha elaborated, looking at Tom as she spoke, " We've been out there. In space. Before all of this happened. And there's a thousand different civilisations all around us with no idea of what's happening. The Master can build up weapons big enough to devastate them all. "

" You've been in space? " Tom asked, disbelieving.

"Problem with that? " Martha asked.

" No," Tom said, looking completely shocked, " No, just uh ... wow. Anything else I should know? "

" I've met Shakespeare," Martha shrugged, offhand.

Lily raised a rare genuine smile, " Met him? I married him. "

Before Tom could reply, there was a little noise, and two Toclafane came up behind them. Tom whipped around to face them but both Lily and Martha knew what to do, and didn't move.

" Identify," demanded one of the Toclafane.

" I-I've got a license," said Tom, panicked, " Thomas Milligan. Medical squad. I'd allowed to travel. I was just checking for - "

But they went away, having seen his license, and not interested in anything else.

" They didn't see you," Tom pointed out, looking completely confused at these two mysterious women.

"Perception filter," Lily said simply.

Martha rolled her eyes at Lily, knowing that she preferred to give the technical talk and leave the rest of it for someone else to explain. Martha shrugged at Tom and held up the TARDIS key, " How do you think we travelled the world? "

Tom shrugged and as they started to walk, the three of them in a row, Martha continued, " The Master set up Archangel, that mobile network, 15 satellites around the planet, but it's really transmitting a low-level psychic field. That's how everyone got hypnotised into thinking he was Harold Saxon. "

" Saxon," Tom said with a little sigh, " feels like years ago. "

Martha said, " The key's tuned into the same frequency . Makes us sort of ... not invisible ... but unnoticed. "

" _I _can see you," pointed out Tom.

" That's cause you want to," Martha said as Tom smiled at her, leaving Lily feeling out of the equation - just there on the edges, playing gooseberry again.

" Is there a Mrs Milligan? " Martha asked, as Lily had to smirk at her interest.

" No, what about you? " Tom asked her.

" There used to be someone," Martha sighed, Lily knowing she was talking about the Doctor and feeling sorry that her love was unrequited, but she knew Dad was made for Rose. " Long time ago. Never mind him - we've got to find this Docherty woman. "

Tom pointed towards the gates, " We'll be there, soon enough," he said. There was a pause, before he seemed to only just remember that Lily was there too, and asked her, " Have you got anyone special? "

Lily smiled what was a rare genuine smile these days as she thought of him, " Yeah, there's a guy," she said, " or at least, there is when all this is over. "

Tom didn't question her and fell into conversation with Martha again until they reached a large barbed wire was a gap wide enough to get through, although Lily wouldn't have minded the chance to show off with her laser spanner.

Once through, they ran across a compound until they reached a little work room at the other side.

Tom went first, followed by Lily and Martha.

" Professor Docherty? " he asked, as the girls saw an older woman with short hair hitting a television on the top.

" Busy." she said simply.

" They, uh, they sent word ahead," Tom said, " I'm Tom Milligan. This is Martha Jones, and this is Lily Harkness. "

" They can be the Queen of Sheba and her personal maid for all I care," the Professor said, " I'm still busy. "

Lily frowned - they needed to talk to her, so she could give their location away, and they could get back to the Valiant. She was dreading going back up there, but it'd all be over soon.

Martha looked at the televison Professor Docherty was hitting and pointed out, " Televisions don't work anymore. "

They edged into the room, Tom closing the door behind them, and they were in without even having to get her permission. The Professor sighed, " Oh God, I miss Countdown. Hasn't been the same since Des took over. Both Deses. What's the plural of Des? Desii? Deseen? But we've been told there's going to be a transmission. From the man himself. "

She banged on the screen and static appeared. Another bang and then a grainy black and white shot of the Master appeared on the tv.

Lily moved closer, her hearts beating faster when she saw the man she hated most, on the screen in front of her. She told herself he couldn't hurt her now, and he'd never be able to hurt her again.

He was smirking into the screen and she bit her lip, wrapping her arms around herself, as if trying to protect herself.

" My people," he said, " Salutations on this, the eve of war. I know there's all sorts of whispers down there. Stories of people walking the Earth, giving you hope. But I ask you, how much hope has this man? "

He walked over to stand near the Doctor, and Lily felt a rush of relief when she saw him sitting in the wheelchair. He looked old and tired, but he was alright. She was actually thrilled, if nervous about what would happen, but thrilled to know he was alright.

" Say hello Gandalf," the Master on the tv screen teased, " Except he's not _that _old, but he's an alien with a much greater lifespan than you stunted little apes. What if it showed? What if I suspend the capacity to regenerate? All 900 years ... what if we could see them? "

Lily watched him point the screwdriver at her dad and watched in horror and with difficulty as he made the Doctor writhe in agony. Lily watched him writhe and moan and then fall to the ground. He shrunk right down, with the Master mocking him all the way.

There was a silence during which Lily watched her Dad, worried. His clothes were on the floor, seemingly empty and she held her breath until, by the neck of the clothes, a large domed head peered out, with wide blinking eyes.

" Recieved and understood, Miss Jones? " asked the Master, glaring into the camera, " and you, _my pet, _if you're there. "

The transmission ended and Lily was left wanting to punch him. He terrified her, but she was determined that she'd never be made to feel that way again, by anyone.

" I'm sorry," Tom said.

Martha smiled in relief, " He's alive," she said, " the Doctor's alive. "

Lily laughed, " Dad's alive - he's ... he's alright," she said, though she knew he wasn't exactly already, but at least he was alive. And soon he'd be alright.

The two of them hugged, and Tom stared at Lily. " He's your dad? " he asked her, " but ... the Master said he was an alien. "

Lily looked at Martha, " Looks like the legends don't know that much about me. But yeah, he's alien. I'm alien ... who cares? "

Tom had no chance to reply as Professor Docherty turned around to face them, " Obviously the Archangel Network would seem to be ... the Master's great weakness. The 15 satellites, all around the Earth, still transmitting. That's why there's so little resistance. It's broadcasting a telepathic signal which keeps people scared. "

" We could just take them out," Tom said.

" We could," Professor Docherty said, " 15 ground-to-air missiles. You got any on you? Besides, if we did, the Toclafane would be right down on us. "

" They're not called Toclafane," Lily said, " that's just something The ... something he made up. "

" Then what are they? " asked the Professor.

" That's why we came to find you," Martha said, " know your enemy. I've got this," she pulled out a computer CD," no-one's been able to look at the spheres up close. They can't even be damaged. Except once. The lightening strike in South Africa struck one down. Just by chance. There's readings on this. "

Docherty put the disk into the computer and banged it a few times to get it working, before shaking her head, it's not doing it.

Lily grinned, pulling out her spanner, " Here, let me take a look," she said, moving closer, and scanning the computer. She nodded and pressed a few buttons, before smiling at the Professor, " There you are. "

" What's that? " asked the Professor, looking at her.

Lily shrugged, " Just a little device of mine. "

Tom looked at Martha and then at Lily, pointing towards the disk, " So that's why you travelled the world? " he asked," to find a disk. "

" Just got lucky," Lily told him, " I think we were owed a bit of luck for a change. "

Professor Docherty looked at the two women, " I heard stories that you walked the Earth to find a way to build a weapon. " Looking at the computer she nodded, " There! A current of 58.5 kilo amperes transferred charge of 510 megajoules precisely. "

" Can you recreate that? " Tom asked.

" Easily," Professor Docherty nodded.

" Alright then," Martha grinned, " Dr Milligan, we're going to get ourselves a sphere. "

They worked away at getting it sorted out, and then the plan was in action. Lily, Martha and Professor Docherty were in the room, while Tom was outside. He came running back towards the building while Docherty made the final preparations.

" He's coming ! " Martha called.

" Now! " Tom shouted as he ran through the door.

Professor Docherty turned on the power and a sphere followed Tom as he ran into the room. The sphere was caught up in an electrical field and dropped to the ground after a few seconds. The four of them looked at each other, and Lily made her way forwards, the others following her lead.

" That's only half of the job," Professor Docherty said, " let's find out what's inside. "

It didn't take her long to crack it open, and the parts of it unfolded as if it was a petal. They all peered inside and saw a wizened human head attached to machinery. There was a blinking light, and then its eyes shot open.

" It's alive! " Docherty exclaimed.

" Martha," the sphere said," Martha Jones. "

" It knows you," Tom said, looking at her sideways, while Lily frowned at the sphere, crouching closer as she tried to work out what it was,

" Sweet, kind, Martha Jones," the sphere said, " you helped us to fly. "

" What? " Lily asked, frowning at it.

" Martha led us to salvation," it said.

" Who are you? " Martha asked, confused.

" The skies are made of diamonds," the sphere said, cheerily.

" No," Martha gasped, backing away, " you can't be him! "

" You sent him to Utopia," the sphere told her, as Lily looked away from it and back at Martha. At the word "Utopia" her mind flashed to the year 100 trillon, where they'd met Padra, then Creet, then Chanto and the Master in his Yana guise.

" Martha, what is it? " Lily asked, standing up and turning to her friend.

Martha bit her lip before looking at Lily, " 100 trillion," she said, " you remember it. When we were going down the corridors, we met that little boy - Creet, yeah? And while you lot were up in the lab, me and Chanto went to deliver the launch boards, yeah? Well, I ran into Creet and I told him to get on the plane. For a better life. And ... "

She trailed off, and Lily understood at once, " They're humans," she said, adressing the others in the room, " the Toclafane are the human race from the future. "

Tom and Docherty both started to question it at the same time, while Lily shook her head as she considered how awful that was - what all of those humans had been made into.

" I ... " she started, " I'd sort of already twigged that, but ... "

Martha nodded, " Yeah, I started to work it out, with the Paradox machine. The Doctor said he'd locked the co-ordinates when the TARDIS got stolen, so that the Master could only travel between here and the year 100 trillion. "

Lily nodded, telling Tom and Professor Docherty, " The ... The Master had the TARDIS, our time machine, but the only other place he could go was the end of the universe. And that's where he found Utopia. It was people's last hope and they were trying to find a way of escaping ... like they had any chance where _he _was involved. "

" There was no solution, no diamonds," the sphere said in a childlike voice, " just the dark and the cold. So we made ourselves pretty but it didn't save us. And then the Master came with his wonderful time machine to bring us home. "

" But that's a paradox," said Professor Docherty as the cogs inside Lily's mind started to whir and she pieced it all together, " if you're the future of the human race, and you've come to murder your ancestors, then you should cancel yourselves out. You shouldn't exist. "

" And there's the paradox," Lily nodded.

" Why? " Tom asked, horrified and disgusted by it.

" Because it's fun," the sphere said, laughing madly.

Lily hated that, and Tom seemed disgusted by it as he raised his gun and before Lily knew what was happening, he'd shot it to the ground, where it lay, broken.

" Oh god," she sighed, running a hand through her hair.

Professor Docherty set her hands on her hips and looked at Lily and Martha sternly, " I think it's time we had the truth, Miss Jones, Miss Harkness. The legends say you've travelled the world to find a way of killing the Master. Tell us, it it true? "

Since Martha was the one who'd done it for four months, alone, and who the Doctor had given his information too, Lily watched Martha explain, " The Doctor and Lily, and the Master, have been coming to Earth for years and they've been watched. There's UNIT and Torchwood, studying away. "

She took a case from her bag and Lily smiled a little at the mention of Torchwood. It amazed her how it had been started by Queen Victoria to protect, naming the Doctor and his daughter as the main enemy. And now her boyfriend or whatever the hell she could call him, ran the only real remaining branch. He'd built it up for her, even though she was the supposed enemy. And she was probably going to go and work for them. It was odd, she mused.

Martha pulled a gun out of the case and showed it to them," They made this," she said," the ultimate defence. "

Lily smirked a little at the way they were so easily lying to everyone.

" All you need to do is get close," Tom said, " then the Master will be shot dead. "

" Point is," Martha said, " it's not so easy to kill a time lord. They can regenerate, literally bring themselves back to life. "

" Ah, the Master's immortal," the Professor sighed, " wonderful. "

" Except for this," Martha said, holding up the gun," four chemicals, slotted into the gun, inject him ... kills a Time Lord permanently. "

Lily wished it was true. Before they'd gotten onto the Valiant, she'd been up for her dad's plan of helping the Master out, and trying to make him a better person, but no way now. Now, she wanted him to die, and she didn't care what anyone else thought. He had to die. She didn't know how her dad felt - if he wanted to help the Master anymore, but she had a strong suspicion he wouldn't want to. Not after how he'd treated the her.

" You've only got three chemicals," Tom pointed out, " you're missing one. "

" Still need the last one," Martha nodded, "the components of this gun were kept safe, scattered across the world. And we found them. San Diego, Beijing, Budapest and London. "

Lily added, " There's an old UNIT base, north London. We've got the access codes, so you Dr Milligan, need to get us there. "

Tom shook his head, " Alright, but we can't go across London in the dark. It's full of wild dogs and we'd get eaten alive. We can wait until the morning and go with the medical convey if you don't mind waiting a night. "

" It's fine," Martha said, looking at him and giving him a smile which he returned only too gladly.

" You can spend the night here, if you like," Docherty offered.

" No," Tom disagreed, " we can get halfway, and stay at the slave quarters at Bexley. Thank you, Professor. "

" Good luck," Docherty said as they got ready to leave.

" Thanks," Martha said, gratefully.

Lily nodded, " Thank you. Thaks," she added, even if she wasn't exactly thanking her for this, but thanking her for what would happen next - thanking her for getting them to the Master, even if she didn't know she was going to do it.

" Martha," Professor Docherty said, stopping them at the door, " Lily. Could you actually do it? Could you kill him? "

" Got no choice," Martha said.

" You might be many things, but neither of you look like killers," Docherty said.

As they left, Lily considered this. She wanted the Master dead, but she wasn't sure she'd be able to kill him. She'd never killed anything or anyone before - not even the monsters and the bad aliens. The Doctor hated her killing anything, and when things needed to be done, he took care of them.

He'd always told her that while he killed when it was absolutely neccessary, he didn't want her to kill. He said it disturbed him to see her like that. She wasn't sure if she'd be able to kill him - if she'd have the nerve to commit murder. But she knew if she didn't hurt him, Jack would.

They kept on moving, and as they did so, she didn't talk to either of them really, as Tom and Martha was too absorbed in their own conversation.

After a while, when it started to get dark, they crept down a street, past of row of houses. They snuck past some guards until they were at the door of one of the houses.

" Let me in, it's Milligan," Tom said, knocking on the door.

The door opened and the three of them rushed inside before the guards caught them. When inside, Lily looked around and was shocked to see that the house was packed with people, and there was barely any room to move.

" I'm sorry," Lily said, as she looked around, " I'm so sorry. "

" Not down to you," Tom said, " but this way's cheaper than building baracks. Pack them in, 100 in a house, and ferry them off to the shipyards each morning. "

" Are you Martha Jones? " asked one of the little boys, sidling up to them, " and Lily Harkness? "

Lily always smiled when she heard herself being referred to as "Harkness." She decided she'd have to talk to Jack and ask him if he minded her using it. Maybe she'd have to be Lily Smith again, or just Lily, if he didn't like it.

" Yeah, that's us," Martha said.

" Can you do it? " the little boy asked, " can you kill him? Tell us you can get rid of the Master, tell us you can, please? "

" Who is the Master? " another woman asked, " what's he really like? "

Everyone around them started throwing out questions and all talking at the same time. Lily was a little amazed at the way word spread about them, and she didn't know what to say to put it down

" Leave her alone," Tom said, before correcting himself, " leave them both alone. They need their rest - they've had a lot to do. "

" No, it's alright," Martha said, looking at Lily," isn't it? If they want me to talk, I will do. We'll tell them, right? "

Lily nodded - they'd gotten used to spreading their stories, so why should tonight be any different? Lily raised half a smile, " Yeah," she said, " c'mon then. "

Soon the pair of them were sat on the stairs of the house, with the rest of the house all gathered around them, all of them sat tightly, packed in, as they listened to the stories.

Martha was telling them mostly, while Lily listened happily.

" I travelled across the world," Martha said, " first just me, and then Lily too. From the ruins of New York to the fusion mills of China, right across the radiation pits of Europe. And everywhere we went, we saw people just like you, living as slaves. But if we became some sort of legend, then that's wrong because our names aren't that important. Not really. There's someone else out that. The man who sent us out there, and told me to walk the Earth. His name is the Doctor. "

Lily smiled proudly, because even if she'd been there throughout a lot of the saving-the-world things, he did it all. She was there, but he was the one who did everything.

Martha continued, " He has saved your life so many times, and you never even knew he was there. He never stops. He never stays. Never asks to be thanked. But I've seen him, and I know him. I love him and I know what he can do. "

Lily grinned, " He's my dad. He's the most amazing man you could ever think of, and he's the one who saves the world. "

" It's him, it's him! " a woman screamed, pushing her way forwards to adress everyone, " the Master - he's here! "

Martha stood up and looked at Lily. Lily was terrified and Martha offered her what she hoped was a comforting smile, " Hey, this is it," she said.

Lily nodded, also standing up.

Martha had never been the one to do the comforting until Lily came to her in such a state that she had to help her, and she had to comfort her friend and try to help piece her back together. Now the pair of them depended on each other equally.

" It's gonna be fine," Martha muttered to Lily as the rest of the house panicked, " you're going to face him and be strong, just like we talked about, yeah? "

Lily nodded, swallowing all of her nervousness, " Yeah. We can do it. We're gonna get to see everyone again. Our families. "

" Hide these two! " the woman said, as people started throwing them blankets to cover them up.

Outside in the street, they heard the Master's teasing voice. " Martha! " he called, " Martha Jones! Out you come little girl - come out and meet your Master! Anybody? Nobody? " he stopped and called out, making Lily wince, " Lily! Lily, my pet, come out. " He sighed, " I'll give the order unless you surrender. Ask yourselves - what would the Doctor do? What would _daddy _do? "

Martha and Lily exchanged identical looks and then both took off their TARDIS keys, so he'd see them. Feeling terrified, but knowing she had to do it, telling herself she could do it, she walked to the door, alongside Martha.

Lily glanced at Martha who nodded, and then she opened the door.

Then there he was, standing in the middle of the street. She looked at that man she hated, standing there with a smirk, looking so pleased with himself.

" Ah, my pet," he smirked, pointing at her, " it's been a long time - it was very naughty of you to run out on me like that. I'll be dealing with you properly, don't you worry about it. "

Mustering up all the courage she could find, Lily walked towards him, taking large strides. He was suprised, but just watched her with a smirk.

" That's it," he said, grinning, " are you going to come running back to me? I was devasted when I realised you'd ran off. Screwed my plan right up, didn't you? Have you come back so I can finish off my plan? You've come back to me, my pet! "

" You don't get to call me that anymore," she told him.

She stopped right in front of him, glaring up at him, and he reached out one hand, going to touch her cheek. Telling herself to go for it, she swung her arm back and the next thing she knew, she sent him staggering backwards with a punch she delivered to his jaw

He straightened up and looked at her after a moment, eyes alight with fury, though Lily was celebrating inside, hardly blieving she'd just done that.

He glared at her, and she knew he was waiting to make his move, waiting to hit her, or grab her, but she wasn't going to let that happen. She hit him again, harder, and this time aimed it at his mouth, as hard as she could, throwing all her anger into it.

While he took the time to bring a hand to his mouth and wipe away the blood she'd drawn from his lip, she moved forward and kicked him. She kicked his leg as hard as she could, taking a pleasure in it, the way hurting someone had never pleased her before.

As he groaned and hopped on one leg, clutching his shin, she laughed at him and slapped him straight across the face

.

The anger she'd built up at him for so long faded away a little, and although she wanted to keep on going, she stopped herself and just grinned, so pleased she'd done that.

He was furious at her now and he lunged at her, grabbing her at the shoulders roughly, " You stupid little girll! " he roared at her, before stopping and relaxing his face a little, hissing at her, " you thought you'd just run away from me, didn't you? And then you come here and you hit me! " his voice raised to a shout as he shook her at the shoulders, " I'm going to make you pay! "

She couldn't explain, but something inside her just didn't care anymore, and she wasn't going to be bullied anymore. " Don't you see? " she laughed at him, " you can't hurt me anymore. This time, I've hurt you. Oh dear .... you're bleeding. "

He looked like he wanted to hit her, but instead he moved one arm to her waist and pulled her to him, his lips crashing down on hers as he kissed her long and hard, trying to swallow her face. She felt disgusted and for a moment, all the terror of what she'd gone through came back and she nearly crumbled, but she told herself she could do it, and but her hands on his chest, shoving him away.

He glared at her, " Don't think I'm done with you," he said, " I've caught you now. The new time lord empire will be built, and you _will _bear my child. I'll deal with you when we get back on the Valiant. "

" Will you? " she challenged, wiping away his blood that he'd left on her face from the kiss and spitting on the floor in disgust. She felt like telling him about his downfall that was to come soon, but said nothing.

" You just wait," he spat, " once we're back up there, and your dear old dad, and precious Jack can see you, you'll pay. "

She shrugged, " You don't half like to talk do you? But when it comes down to it ... you just got hit by a _200_ year old _girl_ ... how's that for humiliation? " Before he could do anything, she looked over his shoulder at Martha, calling out, " Oh, hi Martha! "

The Master whipped around, as if only just remembering about Martha too. He looked at Lily and then back at Martha, deciding he needed to deal with Martha right now ... his pet would wait until they got to the Valiant. She'd pay for hitting him ... though he had to admit that as a man - no, a Master - of near 1000 years old, he was embarrassed. Not that he'd let her know that.

Turning to Martha, while Lily stood behind him, he shouted, " Good girl! You've been trained well! Throw me your bag - throw me it now! "

Martha threw him the bag with the gun in, and in a single laser beam, he'd destroyed it.

Tom, thinking, like everyone else, that the gun was the only way of killing the Master, ran forwards, annoyed, " No! " he yelled, trying to stop it.

The Master laughed and with another shot from his screwdriver, Tom was dead. Lily sighed sadly while the Master chuckled and Martha was upset but could only glare at the Master.

" Now," the Master said, " when you die, Martha Jones, the Doctor should be a witness to it, I think. " He inhaled deeply and looked from Martha to Lily and back again, " Yes. You will die in front of the Doctor, and then I'll have my pure time lord offspring with the Doctor's daughter. "

The Master left Lily and Martha with the guards and went off back to the Valiant on his own.

Lily hated the thought of being back on the Valiant, but she'd overcome the worst part. She'd seen the Master again ..... hell, she'd punched him twice, kicked him and slapped him. She'd given him a bust lip. And he couldn't hurt her anymore .... this would all be over soon. Now she could go up there and see Jack and the Doctor.

The guards had them outside the conference room, and told them they had to go in there. The doors slid open and Lily walked in first, flanked by two guards, with Martha behind her, also flanked.

As Lily walked forwards, the guards were alongside her, but allowed her to walk on her own.

All those feelings of horror and all the memories came back as she stepped into the conference room, but she kept her chin up and looked for the good points. She walked down the stairs, and on one side was Tish, Clive and Francine, looking the same at they had before but ... but worse. Just more fed up, more tired.

Then on the other side, not too far away, was Jack. He stood there, dirty faced and ripped clothes, but all she saw was a hero, grinning back at her with that spark in his eye that made her love him so much. Guards were near him, but there were no chains, no nothing.

She wanted to run and jump in his arms, and the urge was too much, that she darted forwards with a sigh of relief that he was alright.

She had to stop in her tracks when two guards pointed a gun at her - she noticed that the guard who'd been to helpful in her escape, wasn't there, though.

" You're alright," she breathed, grinning at Jack and all of the relief pouring away.

" Told you I would be," he said, the rest of the room meaning nothing to them, " I told ya, the worst that could happen is I'll die, but then I come right back to life. _You're _alright! That's all that matters to me. "

She nodded, " I'm ... I'm gonna be alright," she told him. And she knew when she had him and everything was sorted, she was going to be fine. It might take her time to be better properly, but Jack would look after her, she knew it. If he still wanted her, that was. And Dad would always be there.

" Aw, touching," the Master scoffed, moving closer.

She looked over her shoulder at him, " Give it a rest, yeah? I've had just about all that I can take off you. Do you want another bust lip? "

" _You _did that? " asked Jack, with a little laugh.

Lily nodded.

" God, that makes me proud," he told her.

She laughed, trying to move forwards again, but the guards shoved their guns in her direction and she turned away, though she gave Jack a smile before she did so. Then she looked around and saw a birdcage a litle way down from Jack, and in the birdcage was her dad.

" Oh my god," she said quietly, rushing towards him. She stopped just in front of the cage and looked at the vunerable creature with the large sad eyes.

" Dad? " she asked quietly, " Dad, I'm back. "

A hand was on her shoulder and she whipped around to be faced with the Master. She frowned and tried to shove him away. He laughed and grabbed her wrist, " I think we've had enough fighting, don't you? " he asked her, " you know I don't want to fight you, I just want ... "

" Yeah," she said, " I know what you want but it's not happening. "

He just laughed, and grabbed her other hand, dragging her towards him and holding her there tightly. He glared down at her and then used his grip on her to move her backwards, until the pair of them were standing in front of Jack.

Once there, he smirked at Jack, " Isn't she lovely? " he asked Jack, sneering as he held Lily tightly. Lily was breathing deeply and being this close to him, pressed right against him, him breathing right down on her, made her feel just the same as it had all those months ago when he'd abused her. She was too scared to move and she closed her eyes a little.

" You leave her alone," Jack said, trying to move forwards, though one of the guards pulled him backwards, two of them restraining him.

" Oh, don't be such a spoilsport," the Master laughed, though he shoved Lily away from him roughly, where she staggered backwards and managed to catch her balance, straightening up to glare at him.

" You're gonna pay," she told him, her voice trembling.

He shrugged, " Yeah, you just keep on thinking that. You stay right here, and I'm going to deal with Martha Jones. I'm not finished with you, though. "

As he stalked away, Lily breathed a sigh of relief and the first place she looked was at her dad. He was cooped up in the cage and wanted to comfort her, but couldn't, so he gave her a sad smile and nodded towards Jack. He knew his daughter needed Jack Harkness, no matter what. He could see now that they were perfect for each other.

Lily followed his gaze and looked at Jack. Jack was looking at her and all she saw was compassion and love. She didn't know what to do, and all she knew, was that she needed Jack.

She moved towards him and the guards didn't stop them, too busy moving over to keep a close eye on the Master and Martha.

Jack stretched his arms out towards her and she gladly moved over to him, allowing him to wrap his warm arms around her and hold her tightly, kissing the top of her head and holding her to his chest. She was a little stiff in his arms at first, but he rubbed her back gently and she relaxed slowly.

" Thank god you're alright," he whispered at her, " I'm gonna make him pay, believe you me. No-one treats my girl like that and get away with it. I'll kill him. "

" I'm ... " she started, sighing, " I'm not alright. Not really. But I ... I could be. "

" Yeah," he said, " I'll look after you for the rest of our lives. I promise. "

" I'd like that," she told him as she broke the hug. He smiled at her and then she moved to stand next to him, facing the Master and Martha was watching what was going on. He slid his hand into hers and her first instinct was to move her hand away, but she didn't. He took her hand carefully, having seen it all, knowing how hard it must be for her, because it was hard for him too, to have had to watch it all and not be able to help her.

As they stood hand in hand, they watched the Master force Martha to kneel in front of him.

Then he said, " Down below, the fleet is ready to launch. 200,000 ships set to burn across the universe," he put his hand to his ear comm, " are we ready? " he nodded and then adressed the room again, " three minutes to align the black hole converters. Counting down! " he pointed to a clock on the wall, " I could never resist a ticking clock. "

Jack squeezed Lily's hand lightly and she squeezed back, understanding his gesture of concern for her, and knowing he was there.

The Master continued, " At zero, to mark this day, the child Martha Jones, will die. Ha, my first blood. Ha, any last words? No? " He looked at the Doctor with a sigh, " such a disappointment, this one. Days of old, Doctor, you had companions that could absorb the time vortex. This one's useless. And so it falls to me, the Master of all, to establish a new order of Time Lords! From this day forwards - "

Martha chuckled and Lily couldn't resist a little smile too.

" What? " the Master demanded of Martha, " what's so funny. "

" A gun? " Martha said.

" What about it? " asked the Master.

" A gun in four parts? " Martha asked him, scoffing.

" Yes, and I destroyed it," the Master said.

Martha shook her head at him, " A gun in four parts scattered across the world. I mean, come on. Did you really _believe _that? "

" What do you mean? " he asked, as Lily watched with a kind of amusement

" As if I could ask her to kill," the Doctor said scornfully.

" It doesn't matter," the Master shrugged, " I've got her exactly where I want her. Your companion, right here, ready to kill. And I've got your daughter where I want her too ... or at least I will have soon. "

" No," Matha said, " we're here because we planned to be. We knew Professor Docherty would tell on us. We told her about the gun so she'd get us here on time. Just when we needed to be. "

" You're still going to die," the Master shrugged, in such an offhand way.

" Don't you want to know what we were doing? " Lily called, much more confident with Jack by her side, " out there, travelling the world? Shall we tell you? "

Martha took over, " We told a story - that's all. No weapons. Just words. I did just what the Doctor told me to do. I went over the continents on my own ... well, until Lily came ... and everywhere we went, we found people and told them the story. Told them about the Doctor and told them to pass it on, spread the word so everyone knew about the Doctor. "

" Faith and hope? " the Master asked, shaking his head, " is that all? "

" No," Martha said, " because I gave them an instruction. Just as the Doctor said. We told them that if everyone thinks of one word, at one specific time ... "

" Nothing will happen! " the Master said, laughing, " is that your weapon? Prayer?! "

" Right across the world," Lily cut in, " one word, just one thought, across 15 satellites. "

" The Archangel Network," Jack added.

Lily watched happily as Martha started to explain it, getting to the very best bit," A telepathic field binding the whole human race together, with all of them, every single one of them, thinking the same thing at the same time. And that word is ... Doctor. "

The countdown ended and all eyes turned to the Doctor as a glowing field of energy surrounded him. The Master shouted his protests, and Lily grinned as the screens on the walls showed people in busy public places all stopping to whisper "Doctor."

Lily caught sight of Francine saying it, then Tish. She saw Lucy standing on the stairs in a beautiful red gown, looking fed up, and Lily thought she could see bruises. It seemed Lucy was as much a victim as Lily herself had been. She smiled a little when Lucy closed her eyes and whispered.

Then she closed her own eyes, whispering, " Doctor. "

She kept her eyes closed, praying this would work, and knowing it would, as she and the others, the whole world, kept saying his name. The Master screamed for them to stop, but no-one did.

" I've had a whole year," the Doctor explained, " to tune myself into the psychic network and integrate with its matrices. "

" I order you to stop! " shouted the Master, though no-one listened.

When Lily opened her eyes, she was thrilled to see her dad standing there, back to his normal self. She breathed a sigh of relief, wanting to rush over there and hug him and never let go, but they had to finish this off right now.

" The one thing you can't stop them doing," the Doctor said, " thinking. "

Lily laughed as the telepathic field kept her dad levitating. The Master was shocked, and Martha ran to her family, hugging them all tightly. Lily smiled and didn't quite know what to do with herself. She glanced up at Jack, and he looked back at her.

" C'mere! " he said, with a grin.

She looked up at him and he grinned, hugging her so tightly he almost picked her up. " It's all over," he told her, " we can have happy ever after and all that now. "

She nodded and when he let go of her, he planted a kiss on her forehead, before they both turned to see what the Doctor was doing. He was currently floating towards the Master, who was terrified.

The Master was panicking, backing away and Lily wondered how the hell the Doctor was going to deal with this.

" No! No! No! " shouted the Master, his shouts turning into whimpers.

" You wouldn't listen," the Doctor said.

" No! " the Master protested.

" You know what I'll say now," the Doctor continued, floating forwards.

The Master whimpered as he sat down on the steps, curling into the foetal position. The Doctor kept moving forwards and Lily was shocked when he got close enough to kneel down at wrap his arms around the Master.

" I forgive you," he said.

Lily was horrified by it - after everything that happened, he was going ahead and forgiving the Master? That was ... she just couldn't accept it. She was disgusted, and one glance at Jack told her he felt the same. His teeth were gritted and the hand that wasn't holding hers was clenching into a fist. She could see him almost ready to charge forwards.

" No! No you won't! " the Master hissed, cowering.

" Well ... " the Doctor said, correcting himself, " I forgive you for trying to take over the Earth and kill everyone. I will _never _forgive what you did to my daughter. She's _my _baby. "

Lily sighed with a nod. That was more like it - she knew deep down that her dad would hate anything that hurt her, but she couldn't understand the complex relationship between her Dad and the Master - she had a strong suspicion that there was some sort of love between them, inbetween all the hate, and they must have a history she didn't know about.

The spheres in the room were going crazy, and one of them started chanting, " Protect the paradox! Protect the paradox! "

" Captain! " the Doctor yelled, " the paradox machine! "

Jack dropped Lily's hand and kissed the top of her head before racing off to the door, ordering some of the guards to go with him. They all charged off with their guns, and Lily was glad not to be going wiith them - she'd never had any reason to use a gun. Her dad would never have given her a gun.

Lily looked around for her Dad and while all she wanted to do was hug him, now they were both alright. When she looked in his direction, she saw the Master with the vortex manipulator he'd taken from Jack.

He was about to press it, but the Doctor wasn't going to let him go. He put his hand over it too, and then they were both gone in a flash. Lily cried her protests, but they were already gone.

Wondering what the hell they were doing, Lily sighed, they she didn't know what to do. She ran her hand through her hair, knowing she couldn't do anything, so she ran onto the bridge to join Martha and her family.

She stood alongside them, and they all looked out of the portholes, seeing what was happening.

" There's 6 billion spheres heading for us! " Martha shouted.

Lily bit her lip as she watched them - they were all going to come to protect the paradox machine, and they'd slaughter everyone on the Valiant. Their only hope was to destroy the paradox machine, she realised, piecing it together - destroy the machine, the paradox would be broken and everything would go back to how it was before.

She was almost holding her breath as the spheres approached, even though she knew that Jack was capable of carrying anything off, and the Doctor could save them from anything. She knew it would work out, but she couldn't help being nervous.

As the spheres moved closer and closer, she watched with bated breath.

Suddenly, the spheres disappeared into thin air and she laughed loudly, doing a little celebratory jump and throwing her arms in the air. The whole ship started to rock and Lily stumbled backwards, not expecting it.

She fell to the floor with a groan and lifted her head up at once, to see what was going on. When she looked up, her dad was lying there too, a few feet away.

" It's over," he told her quietly, making her smile at him. Then he lifted his head and shouted, " everyone down! Tim is reversing! "

The ship continued to rock and Lily was so thrilled that their plan had worked, and all the pain from everything that had happened during the year was made a little better by the fact it was over. They'd stopped the Master.

The ship stopped rocking slowly, and when the Doctor stood up, the other decided it was safe to too. The Doctor was checking the controls and he turned to them, announcing, " The paradox is broken. We've reverted back, one year and one day. Two minutes past 8 in the morning. "

He flicked on the comms, anda male voice called over them, " This is UNIT Central. What's happened up there? We just saw the President assassinated! "

" You see? " the Doctor said, " Just after the President was killed, but just before the spheres went down to earth. Everything back to normal. Planet Earth restored ... none of happened. The rockets, the terror, it never was. "

" What about the spheres? " asked Martha.

" End of the universe," the Doctor told her, " trapped. "

" It never was? " Lily echoed, staring at her dad, " how can you say that? Everything I ... he ... everything ... " she trailed off, shaking her head at him, " it still _happened. "_

The Doctor knew he'd made a mistake and tried to backpedal, moving closer to her, " Well ... no. I mean ... Lils, I didn't mean that. I know he .. and you ... I just meant no-one else will remember it. "

" I remember it," Francine said.

The Doctor nodded, while Lily sighed and gave up glaring at him, trying to make of sense of what was goin to happen after this. " Yeah," he said, " we're at the eye of the storm. Only ones who'll ever know. "

Everyone's attention was drawn by quick footstep and they turned to see the Master trying to make a break for it. Lily couldn't help but smile a little when Jack appeared in the doorway, blocking the Master's way. She didn't want the Master to get away, though she was a little shocked when Jack lunged for him.

" You're not going anywhere," Jack said, his eyes cold as he pushed the Master into the room which such force he almost fell over, " after what you've done, you think you're going to wander off? Because I don't. "

He drew back his fist and launched it straight at the Master's face. It made contact and Lily jumped a little, taking a step backwards. Jack punched him again, and the second blow sent the other man to the ground, flat on his back.

Jack fell to his knees and hovered above the man who'd caused _his _girl so much pain. His fist collided with the other man's face over and over, causing the blood to stream down his face.

Lily wanted the Master to pay, but she was horrified by how violent Jack was and what a rage he was in. She knew he was angry and hated the man with a passsion, because she did too, and although she wanted him to pay - maybe even wanted him to die - she didn't think she'd actually be able to kill him. Jack was so violent and so determined, and it was a streak she'd never seen in him - obviously Torchwood had made him more violent, and made him do things like this, she thought.

As Jack hit and hit the other man, Lily realised he was going to kill him, unless he was stopped. The Doctor seemed to realise this too, as he made his way to Jack and laid a hand on his shoulder.

Jack drew back his fist again while the Master lay there, injured and breathing deeply, but the Doctor squeezed his shoulder lightly, " Jack," he said gently but firmly, " you're not a cold-blooded killer. "

Jack looked up at the Doctor and tried to resist that look in his eyes, shaking his head. " But," he protested, " I ... and he ... I can't just ... he ... "

" D'you want to commit murder right in front of Lily? " the Doctor asked, urgently.

Jack sighed, " But after everything he's done ... "

" I know," the Doctor said, as Jack gave one last look to the Master and then across at Lily, who was watching him loooking scared of what he was capable of.

Jack stood up, and the Doctor clapped a hand to his shoulder, before crossing the room to stand near his daughter in support - she was probably the one who'd been hurt most by all of this. Jack stood stil glaring at the Master, unsure of what to do, before grabbing him and cuffing him behind his back, before roughly shoving him forwards.

" What do we do with this one? " he spat, still wanting to hurt him more, and kill him, even if the Doctor wouldn't let him ... he had to do something.

" We kill him," Clive said.

" Execute him," Tish agreed.

" He ... " Lily started, finding her voice, " he has to pay. "

" But not by death," the Doctor said, shaking his head, and touching Lily's arm a little, " that's not the solution, darling. "

Lily didn't know what she wanted anymore. She wanted ... needed ... him to pay for what he'd done, and she'd thought she wanted him to die, but she wasn't sure now. She wouldn't usually agree that death was the answer to anything, but this was so different.

She shook her head and crossed the room, going to stand at the other end of the room, where Jack, Martha and her family and Lucy stood. As she reached Jack's side, he automatically reached out with one arm and she stood next to him, his arm around her shoulders tightly, her fitting there perectly as they watched what was happening in silence.

Francine seemed to have picked up a gun from somewhere, and she aimed it at the Master. " Oh, I think so," she said, " because all of those things that happened, they still happened because of him. I saw them. "

" Go on! Do it! " the Master said, laughing at her.

" Francine, you're better than him," the Doctor said, leaving Lily's side to take Martha's hand and lower the gun. He hugged her and then Martha took his arm and pulled her away, taking her into a hug of her own.

" You still haven't answered the question," the Master said, " what happens to me now? "

" You're my responsibility," the Doctor said firmly, " From now on. The only other time lord in existance. "

" Dad! " Lily snapped, annoyed at him, " You can't take responsibility for him! Looks what he's done - to everything! And he ... that man ... he nearly ruined my life! Imagine what could have happened! "

The Doctor sighed, raking a hand through his hair, " I don't know what to do, Lily, because I'm stuck. I can't have him wandering off on his own, and the only safe place for him is the TARDIS. I wanted to help him, Lils. I wanted to take away the drums and help him, and then he does everything in his power to hurt me. "

" Then what do you do? " Lily asked as Jack looed at her in concern, feeling as outraged as she was, " the TARDIS is _my _home! "

The Doctor was frowning deeply as he tried to make his decision - he was stuck. " I hate what he's done, Lils, and I hate him for hurting you. I never want to see him again, because of that, but you've got to understand - he's my responsibility. I hate most of him, but there's tiny little bit that I don't hate. Maybe with some guidance he'd be different. Maybe I could sort out what's made him so insane and change him. I'll keep him away from you, forever. You'll never have to see him again, because we both know you're going to go back to Cardiff after this, however hard I try to convince you to stay. The only safe place for him is the TARDIS. "

Lily disagreed strongly, but said nothing. They'd continue their argument later. She looked around to see what everyone else's reactions were. Lucy was standing on her left, a few feet away, staring at her husband with a cold empty expression. Jack was on her right, Martha and her family on Jac's other side.

" You mean, you're just going to ... keep me? " the Master asked in disbelief.

" If that's what I have to do," the Doctor nodded, before looking at Lily, " It's time for change, we all know that. I've been wandering too long. I'm not going to have you any more, am I? "

" Who says? " Lily demanded, " I don't know what's going to happen. Even if ... whatever happens, I'm still gonna see you. You'll always have me! "

" Yeah, but Jack's going to take care of you for me," the Doctor said, as Jack nodded in acknowledgement of the Doctor's faith in him, " I'll have _him _to care for. "

A loud gunshot rang out and Lily jumped a little, her jaw dropping in shock as the Master staggered backwards, bringing a hand ot his stomach.

There was silence and Lily saw that Lucy, beside her, was holding out a gun.

She closed the distance between them and stared at the gun, before telling herself she was just going to do it. If the Master had already been shot, why shouldn't she do it to? Lucy was a victim of his abuse, and she'd shot him. Lily was a victim too, and she deserved justice. She took the gun from Lucy and turned around to point it at the Master, who the being lowered to the ground by he Doctor.

Something inside her took over, and she walked forward very quickly, holding the gun out. She stopped a short way from the Master and pointed it at him. She was breathing deeply and her finger was on the trigger. She told herself she could really do it, but she was still hesitating, worrying about it.

She could hear her dad's protests, trying to plead with her, but they were all just a blur. She closed her eyes, ready to shoot him again, though he was already dying. She was losing the nerve to do it, and the next thing she knew, a hand was on hers and the gun was being taken from her slowly.

A hand dragged her out of the way quickly and footsteps moved around her.

There was another gunshot, and then another. Lily's eyes shot open, and Jack was standing there with a cold, hard expression on his face as he pointed the gun. Her eyes travelled to the Master, the Doctor knelt by him, and the Master's body now had three bloody wounds.

" Jack! " the Doctor said loudly, " Jack - stop. "

Jack looked at the gun and then lowered it, turning away and walking straight past Lily and to the back of the room, because he knew otherwise he'd lose it. He needed to calm down, so he stood there at the back of the room.

Lily didn't know what to do exactly, and she moved towards the Master and the Doctor, falling to her knees beside them and staring at them. The Doctor had his arms around his old enemy, as the Master lay on the ground, weak, bleeding, dying.

" Always the women," the Master said, voice weak, turning over to look at Lily, " almost two of them, this time. "

Lily's breathing was unusual and irregular as she knelt there, " I was gonna do it," she whispered, " I was gonna shoot you, too. "

" You wouldn't," the Master told her, looking away and back up at the ceiling, while she stayed kneeling there, not even knowing why she was still there, at his side when he'd caused her so much pained. She supposed she needed to know how he was suffering, and what was going to happen to him.

" How do _you _know? " she asked him, rudely, not liking the way he thought he knew her so well.

He laughed a little, " You'reTheta's daughter. You're too good, " he scoffed, eyes flickering, " you weren't going to to it, my pet. "

She narrowed her eyes and leaned in, hissing quietly, " We're done. You're _never _going to hurt me again. It's over. "

He sighed a little, " Never worked, did it? Would have been nice if we'd had that baby. Shame," he said, reaching towards her face with one hand, though she knocked it away and moved her face away from his and knelt up beside him again, her eyes travelling to her dad, wondering why he was holding his enemy so close

The Master looked up at the Doctor and smirked a little, " Dying in your arms. Happy now? "

" You're not dying," the Doctor fiercely, " don't be stupid. It's only a couple of bullets. Just regenerate. "

" No. "

" Three little bullets," the Doctor said softly, " come on. "

" I guess you don't know me so well," the Master said as Lily watched, realised he was actually going to die for good. " I refuse," he said.

" Regenerate," the Doctor said, looking so sad and so anguished, " Regenerate! " he said, his voice breaking into sobs, " Please! Please! Just regenerate! Come on! Please! For _me! _Please! "

" And spend the rest of my life imprisoned with you? " the Master asked scornfully.

The Doctor was now sobbing openly, and Lily watched the way he looked so devasted, and tried to figure out why - she realised that these men weren't just enemies. They had some history, and she knew her dad would never open up and tell her all about it.

" You've got to," the Doctor said, " Come on - it can't end like this! All the things we've done! Remember the Axons? And the Daleks? There's you and me! I hate you but ... _god _I _hate _you, but I don't hate you too. Regenerate! "

The Master groaned, " How about that? " he smirked, " I win. " He looked at Lily and gave her a smile, which sickened and confused her, before turning his head to look at the Doctor, " Will it ever end, Doctor? The drumming. Will it stop? "

That spark in his eyes that was so mocking and awful and annoying was suddenly gone, and his head lolled to one side, eyes closing. Lily realised it was done. He was actually dead ... completely dead.

She was sort of glad that he'd suffered and he wouldn't be able to hurt her anymore, but she knew death might not have been the best way to solve it, even if it was the only way she could see to solve all of this.

The Doctor lowered his head to the Master's and his sobs broke through the otherwise empty room, as he clutched the dead body to himself, rocking backwards and forwards in despair.

Lily found herself filling with tears and she didn't know what to do as she knelt there.

She stood up, the ground blurred by her tears and she looked around the room, eyes searching for him. And there was Jack, at the other end of the room, right in front of her. He had very little emotion on his face, still so stunned by everything that had happened.

When his eyes met Lily's, she was already walking towards him quickly, her tears falling down her cheeks. She walked straight into his outstretched arms and his arms closed around her immediately.

He held her tighter than he already had done today and she stiffed a little in his arms, her mind flashing back to the Master and everything that had happened, but she pushed it away and clung to Jack.

" Why are you crying? " he asked her quietly, trying to make the tears go away, " I hate to see you sad. What are you crying for? He's dead. It's all done. "

" I know," she mumbled, " I'm crying because I'm so relieved, and ... and he's never gonna touch me again. And ... oh, I don't know," she finished, burying her face against his strong chest.

" None of it matters now, baby," he said, " it's finally done, and we've finally just got each other, yeah? "

" Yeah? " she said, lifting her face from his chest to look at him.

He was looking down at her with a little smile and he reached out and wiped all of the tears away, continuing to smile at her. When all the tears were gone, he leaned in towards her, lips nearing hers.

She stared at him, eyes widening a little, and he could sense that little bit of fear in her. " It's ok," he told her, resting his forehead against hers, " he's gone. It's all gone. "

" Yeah," she muttered, closing her eyes.

He tried to lean in again but then stopped himself, " Is this alright? " he asked her, " if it's not .... this is too soon, isn't it? I'm sorry. "

Her eyes flew open and she looked at him - he looked hurt, though she knew he would support whatever she wanted. She hated the thought of pushing him away so she pushed herself onto her tip-toes and closed the gap between them, pressing her lips to his.

Their kiss was brief, but it felt like a big step for her, and when they broke apart, Jack smiled at her and gathered her in his arms again.

***

It was late at night on they were on deserted land on Earth. The TARDIS was parked in some barren little land, and the Doctor was outside, ready to burn the Master's body - the final stage in getting rid of him.

While he was out there, Martha, Jack and Lily stood in the console room.

" I'm going to bed," Martha said, " I think I could do with a lot of sleep. "

They'd decided to spend one night in the TARDIS, before Martha would be taken to her family (but taken to just after they'd all gotten home) and Jack to Cardiff. Martha bade them goodnight and left the couple standing together.

Lily looked towards the doors, biting her lip. It was all over, and she knew he was dead, but she was now concerned for her dad - she knew it was hard for him to accept that they were still the only two time lords, and then there was whatever history he and the Master had. She needed to check on him, and she needed to see the body burning.

" I'm just gonna ... you know ... " she said, looking towards the door.

" Oh no," Jack said, catching onto her hand as she headed for outside. When she was looking at him, he dropped her hand and said, " I don't think that's a good idea, do you? You don't need to. "

Lily shook her head at him, " I won't be long. Why don't you go ... make yourself comfortable. I'll come and find you. "

Jack paused to consider it, but then nodded, " How about I wait - " he started.

Lily shook her head with a little smile, " No," she told him," I know exactly where I'll find you. I won't be long. 'Cos me and you have things to discuss, haven't we? Like where we go after here ... whether or not I'm gonna see this Torchwood of yours. "

Jack winked at her, and then she turned away and went for the doors.

It was cold outside as she stepped out. All she noticed was the blazing fire in front of her and a figure watching it, with his back to her.

She walked up to her dad and he looked down at her in suprise.

" What're you doing? " he asked, looking down at her with those big sorrow filled eyes, " surely you don't need to watch his body burning? "

She folded her arms over her chest staring into the fire, " I came to check on you," she told him.

" Me? " he asked, shaking his head, " I'm alright, me. "

" Yeah, alright," Lily scoffed. There was a pause before she added, " I don't understand it all, you know. You and _him. _From where I'm standing, he tried to take over the world, thought he could get away with whatever he wanted, bullied and abused everyone and got basically what he deserved .... but you're .... sad. "

The Doctor shrugged, " He was a Time Lord. One less of us now. " He was trying to show no emotion in his voice and Lily knew he didn't want her to know too much about his past, though she was curious. And confused sometimes.

" No," she told him, both of them still staring into the fire, " It's something more than that. You and him. There's so much I don't know. You're both so complicated. Like you used to be friends and then all this. "

" Stuff happens," he shrugged, " it's ... it doesn't matter anymore. "

A sudden thought occured to Lily and she wanted to ask him, though she didn't think he'd answer. She sighed and then decided to just ask him. She tore her gaze from the fire and looked at him, " Did ... did you love him? "

The Doctor didn't answer straight away, but then he also moved his gaze from the fire and turned to look at her with those eyes she sometimes thought could see everything. " Don't ask stupid questions," he told her, no emotion to his voice or face, " there's Rose, remember? "

Lily wanted to point out that that wasn't what she asked, but she knew she'd already pushed it, and she wasn't going to get anything else out of him.

They stood in silence, both watching the fire and thinking about it, before the Doctor turned to Lily again. " Lils," he said, causing her to turn and face him. He continued, " I'm so sorry, for everything. "

" It's hardly your fault," she told him.

" I'm responsible for you," he replied, " It's my job to look after you, and I can't always manage it. I can't believe the things he did to you - it horrifies me, and I wasn't even there. You and Jack have got a lot to get through. "

He reached out and tucked bit of her hair behind her ear with a little smile before telling her, " Jack's a good man. I know now that he's good for you. He's going to look after you and you'll be fine. I know you're worried, but don't be. You've been through Daleks, me, and his immortality. You can survive this. "

She nodded as he dropped his hand, " Yeah. And so can you. "

" Yeah," he agreed, " now you go find Jack. If you're going to go to _Cardiff _of all places, you might as well discuss it properly first. "

" I really can't imagine leaving you," she told him, " I know Jack wants me, but he wants Torchwood. It's _his, _and he's in charge of them. That's where he's going back to. And I'd like to go there, 'cos he's made it for me. But then there's you .... I can't leave you to travel around. I need you sometimes. And god knows you need me. "

The Doctor shook his head, " I've got a phone ... you've got a phone. I've got a time machine. Don't worry about me - I seem to have a knack of picking up companions. "

" I know," she said, " it's just gonna be hard picking between you. "

" It's not like that," the Doctor said, " you'll have both of us ... just ... differently. "

" I can't imagine leaving you," she told him, " having to make that choice. "

The Doctor knew she was going to leave, and knew it was time he let his little girl grow up a bit - he'd still see her. He hated the thought of leaving her alone when she was so vunerable, but he was certain she'd be fine with Jack.

" Lils," he said, " there's no choice, is there? We both know where you'll end up, and that's fine. Now go talk to Jack. "

Lily smiled

***

**Author's Note: Looks like I'll be doing Jack and Lily at Torchwood next - it would follow series two and then maybe children of earth (with doctor who series 4 finale in there too probably)**

**I don't know how many people would read another sequel?**

**Also, if there's Jack/Lily happy together at Torchwood, I don't know what would happen to Janto yet - I'll have a think on it.**

**As always, let me know what you thought about this and if you've got any ideas or anything. **


	20. Moving On

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**Author's Note: This is the last chapter, to wrap things up, just a short chapter.**

Chapter Twenty

She walked down the corridors of the TARDIS, knowing exactly where she'd find Jack. She stopped outside the door and laid a hand on the handle - she'd gotten so used to seeing this room empty, and spending time sitting here wishing for him.

When Lily opened the door and stood in the doorway, she looked around. The bedroom Jack had occupied during his stay on the TARDIS was the same as it always had been, but with one difference. Jack was laying on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. She smiled - Jack was there and that made everything complete.

" Are you just going to stand there? " Jack grinned, sitting up.

Lily grinned too, closing the door behind her. She stepped into the room and just looked at him - her Jack. Everything as it should be. She crossed the room slowly and came to stand in front of the bed.

Jack was now sitting up on the bed, leaning his back against the wall. He smiled at her and she slowly clambered onto the bed with him, sitting beside him and leaning against the wall.

She looked at the bed, thinking of all the times she'd spent sleeping in his bed when he wasn't around, and then of the times she'd spent curled in a ball in her bed on the Valiant. She closed her eyes and rested her head against Jack's shoulder as he fixed his arm around her.

" Seems odd, doesn't it? " she asked, keeping her eyes closed, " after everything that's happening, and now we're back here - you and me in the TARDIS. "

" You and me," he repeated, " and tomorrow we're going to start all over again. It's time to decide. "

She opened her eyes and looked up at him.

He smiled at her, " I've got a big underground base, right under Cardiff bay. There's a team of four people who you'd get on great with. There's all sorts of computers and machinery you could mess about with. Loads of aliens to chase around the city - you'd never get bored. It's a home for us - if you want it? "

" Depends," she teased, " what's the house like? "

He paused before replying," I live at Torchwood. It's a bit ... odd, but there's a manhole cover in my office. There's a ladder underneath it, and that leads down to where I live. There's a bedroom and a bathroom ... and when the rest of the team have gone home ... we've got the entire hub. Kitchen, bit of a living room - everything. Do you want it? I know you're not into settling down, but .... "

She met his eyes with a smile and nodded, " Maybe I haven't settled down in one place because there wasn't anything to settle down for. Now I've got you, and we're still gonna be saving the world. I want it, " she said, " but not because of the team, or the bedroom, or the kitchen. I want it because you're there, and its yours.

" Ours," he corrected. " I built Torchwood up and it took me a long time to perfect it. Now I've got the perfect team, and I did it all with you in mind. "

She smiled, " You're ... god, you're so brilliant. "

He brought his lips down and planted a kiss on her forehead while she snuggled up against him happily. Then he rested his head against hers with a playful smile, " Here's the question then," he said, " will you move in with me? "

She laughed, " I will. "

" Good," he said, " and will you work for me? "

She smirked, looking up at him, " Well, _now_ I don't know, because you'd be my boss. Imagine that - not sure how I'd feel about it. You'd be my superior. There'd be you bossing me around all day. "

" It might be fun," he said, teasing her.

She shrugged, " Might be. And God knows we could do with some fun, couldn't we? Yeah, I'll work for you, so long as you don't get all high and mighty with me. You might be the boss of Torchwood Cardiff, but you're not the boss of this relationship. "

" I don't know," he shrugged, " I suppose I can keep the boss stuff to a minimum, but I _do _hold the authority around the hub so if you're out of line, you'd have to be appropriatley ... dealt with. "

She shook her head with a scoff, " Yeah, dream on, Harkness. "

They fell into a comfortable silence until Lily broke it with a little laugh, " I can't believe this is happening," she said, " I'm going to live on Earth! In Cardiff - maybe not the most desirable of cities, but who cares? " She smiled and then said," you know, that's where we had our first kiss. "

" I know," he nodded, " by the bay. You were leaning against the railings with your back to me, and I spun you around and kissed you. And you know something? It was perfect. "

" Yeah, it was," she said, " so I'll be able to go and stand around Cardiff bay any time that I want. " She sighed happily, " now tell me about this team of yours. I hope they'll like me, Jack. This is really important - they're your team, they're gonna be my collegues. I need them to like me. "

" Don't worry about it," Jack said simply, " they're going to love you because you'll be working with them every day and you'll get to know they pretty well. And even if they're not keen, they're not going to say anything because you're the boss's girlfriend. "

" Jack! " she said, shaking her head at him, " I'm not going to swoop in there because I'm the boss's girlfriend! I'm be just like everyone else! "

" I know, I know," he sighed, " so you want to know more about the team? Well, Toshiko has been there the longest ... about 4 or 5 years now. I recruited her because she's amazing with computers - can do anything she sets her mind to. You'll like her ... there's lots of this techno-babble stuff near the computers. She's quiet shy, keeps herself to herself, but she's good. "

Lily nodded, shifting in Jack's arms, but he put a hand to her head and started playing with her hair, making her settle down against him.

As he played with her hair a little, he said, " Then there's Owen. He's been around about four years. He's our Doctor. Experienced and knows what he's doing but he's an arrogant, sarcastic sod sometimes. "

Lily smiled a little, " Well, it might be nice to meet him. After all, I've spent a lot of time working with doctors. "

Jack shrugged and continued, " Gwen's been working for me for about a year. She was a police constable when I recruited her - she's good, sort of the moral compass, but I'm sure you can fill that role too. And there's Ianto, who I gather you've already met? "

Lily smiled, " Yeah," she said, " yeah, I met him ... well, it's a bit odd. I met a man named Ianto on a parallel universe - I guess I'll save that story for some other time. But then we were at Canary Wharf. The battle was over, Dad was trying to find a way to say goodbye to Rose, and the floor was deserted 'cept for this figure underneath a bit of rubble ... " she stopped, " how do _you _know? "

Jack looked down at her with a smile, " Ianto came to me wanting a job and eventually I gave in. We were just talking one day when he said he'd met someone with my surname, and wondered if she was a relation. Lily Harkness. Said you'd given him the idea of joining another branch of Torchwood. I knew it had to be you. Using my name. And I knew you were using the surname, because I'd seen a newspaper article about the school with those Krillitane teachers - at least, I assume they were Krillitane. But there was this picture of you and your dad, and it gave your name as Lily Harkness. I loved that. Like you'd never forgotten about me. "

She shook her head, " I could never forget you, you know that. And as for the name, it just sort of ... happened. Dad and I had to go undercover as teachers and he thought it would be best if we pretended not to be related, so he was John Smith and I needed a new surname. Harkness was the first name that came into my head and whenever I went somewhere else, I just kept using it. You don't mind do you? I can tell everyone I'm Lily Smith, or Lily no surname, if you want from now on? "

He smiled, holding her close, " Don't be daft," he told her, " I was thrilled when I realised you were trying to remember me by using my name. It sounds much better than Smith, anyway. I'd be honoured if you kept using my name. "

She smiled, " Lily Harkness. "

There was a pause, before Jack said, " You know, if you're going to take my surname, you might as well do it properly. "

Caught completely off guard, Lily laughed, " W-what? "

Jack grinned and pulled away from her. Lily frowned, slightly confused, but sat up properly. Jack sat looking at her with a wild grin, and a slow smile crossed Lily's face as she caught onto what he was hinting at - taking his surname properly? Did he mean .... ?

" Lily," he said, " baby I love you, and you love me. We're good together and we both know it. I'm not saying we should get married right away - I don't actually know how long we've been together with the whole time travel stuff. Couple of months, then 138 years of seperation for me, and a while of seperation for you. Then the Year That Never Was. "

" You're rambling," she laughed, since she was usually the one rambling.

Jack smiled, " Yeah, sorry. So I'm not suggesting we get married right away because we've been through so much, and we need to settle down and be happy for a while, without stressing about things. "

" Jack, is this, or isn't this a proposal? " Lily asked him, confused.

Jack grinned, " Yeah, it is. Sort of. We've got hundreds, thousands of years ahead of us. I just know we're going to be happy forever. So, somwehere down the line, I want to marry you. One day, I want you to be my wife. "

She smiled - she wasn't ready to make that commitment after how she'd suffered through the last year, and she didn't feel ready to commit to him yet. She wanted to leave it for a while until she was happier and they'd had time to just live as a couple. But she was thrilled that he wanted to make her his wife one day.

" So," he continued, " I don't have a ring obviously, and I don't want to push you - I'm not setting the date for next week, or next year, or anything, but Lily, baby, will you marry me? "

Eyes filling with tears, she nodded, blinking them away furiously, " Yeah," she said, " I ... I will. "

He grinned and knelt on the bed, reaching out and hugging her. She allowed him to hug her tightly and she returned the hug, smiling widely.

" So, what was that? " she asked, as they settled down against the bed again, cosied up together, " a pre-proposal sort of thing? "

Jack grinned, " Yeah, I suppose it's a proposal to propose. I'll do it properly some other day, but I thought I'd just throw it out there. One day, when you're not expecting it, I'll ask your dad's permission, and then I'll do the whole romantic thing. "

" And until then we'll live together and be perfectly happy," Lily smiled, " and I'm going to steal your name. "

" You're welcome to it," he said, kissing her head.

" Come on," she said, " tell me more about your Torchwood. You _do _know we've got Ianto to thank for this, don't you? If I hadn't spoken to him at Canary Wharf, he wouldn't have started to say your name. Then I didn't think about it at the time - didn't really hear - but all those months later it came back to me. Then because of what Ianto had said, I told Dad we had to go to Cardiff. We wouldn't have been there, and you wouldn't have heard us and found me, if it hadn't have been for Ianto. "

Jack smirked a little, " Look like we owe something to a certain welshman. He makes a terrific coffee, by the way, because you're rubbish at it. "

" Hey! " she protested, swatting at him, though she knew it was true..

He laughed and then she said, " Right then. Captain, I want to know exactly what you've been up to for the past 138 years. I want to know everything. "

" You do, do you? " he asked, " what about you? " he said, poking her side and making her giggle, " What have you been up to since I last saw you - there's a lot to catch up on, and I intend to hear it all. "

There was a knock on the door, and Jack and Lily exchanged a look.

" Dad? " Lily called, " is that you? Come in! "

When the door opened the Doctor came into the room with a smile, " I thought you'd be in here, if you weren't in Lily's room," he said, looking at them, " I just wanted to say goodnight," he said.

Lily shook her head as she slid off the bed and moved closer to him, " No, you wanted to know if Jack and I had decided to stay in Cardiff," she said.

He paused and then nodded, " Yeah. " He looked at Jack and then back at Lily, " you don't have to go there. You could _both _stay here, travel the universe. It's a long shot, but couldn't .... wouldn't you want to stay here and travel, with me? "

" It's a tempting offer, Doctor," Jack said, also standing up, " but ... "

" Yeah, yeah, I know," the Doctor sighed, " I know you've got your team. I was just hopin there might be a little chance I could get you to stay. "

Lily shook her head at him, " Don't," she said, " I'm rubbish at goodbyes. I don't want to leave you, but ... "

The Doctor reached out and brought her into a hug, protecting her with his ams and smiling though he was feeling sad at the thought of his daughter going somewhere else.

" I love you, Daddy," she muttered, " and I can't imagine not having you around, but I really feel like Torchwood is where I need to be. "

" Yeah," the Doctor said, smoothing down the back of her hair, " I'd like to keep you all to myself forever, but I suppose I know it's time for you to go off and have your own adventures. Live on the Earth, mix with the humans. But make sure you keep doing a whole lot of running, you hear me? "

" I .... I ... you've got to still come and see me," she said, " all the time. "

" Course I will," he told her, kissing the top of her head, " you just phone the TARDIS and I'll come and see you all the time. "

" You' d better," she said, " 'cos you're so unreliable when you're driving this thing that I'm worried if I leave you, you'll come back to see me in 100 years. "

" Never," he promised, " I'm telling you, I'm going to see you all the time. So you just go to Torchwood, promise me you'll look after yourself, don't kill anything, and ring me all the time. "

" Promise," she said, " and you promise me that you'll find someone. You can't go around travelling on your own, and I've got a feeling that Martha's gonna want to get back to her family after all of this. I don't want you to be on your own. "

" I'll be fine," he said, breaking away from her with a smile, knowing it was the right time to let go of his daughter, and let her have her own adventures, " _if _Martha goes, I'll find someone else. Maybe not right away, but you know me, I'll find someone. "

" Yeah," she replied quietly, " and when you do, you'd better bring her to meet me - I want to know who you're travelling with. "

The Doctor simply grinned before moving around her and looking at Jack.

" I don't even need to tell you what to do," he said, " you just look after my baby. "

" I'm not a baby," she protested with a frown.

He looked her his shoulder and told her, " I don't care how old you are, you're _my _baby. " Turning back to Jack he said, " she's gonna need you now more than ever, and she deserves to be happy ... you both do. So just .... look after _both _of you. "

Jack stuck out his hand, " Oh I will, Doctor, don't you worry about it. "

The Doctor shook his hand and looked around the room, before smiling and sweeping out of the room.

" I guess that's that then," Lily said, turning to Jack when they were left alone, " we're really ... we really gonna do it. "

Jack grinned, " Yeah, we are. Now come here - I guess I should make a start on telling you aobut all these missing years. "

***

When Jack woke up the next morning, he was on his own. He frowned, wondering where Lily had gotten to - he couldn't remember falling asleep last night, but thry must have done. He scrambled off the bed and left the room.

He checked the console room, and found the Doctor in there talking to Martha. The Doctor told him they could get off to Cardiff soon, if he and Lily were ready. Jack nodded a little before leaving there.

He found Lily in her bedroom. There was a suitcase thrown open on the bed, with clothes thrown in, and other clothes thrown all over the bed.

She was wearing a pair of dark jeans, a purple t-shirt, black ankle boots and a long black coat covered in pockets.

She turned around to look at him and shook her head, " I can't do this, Jack! My whole life is in here! How do I put in into one suitcase? " She sighed and threw a few shirts out that she'd taken from the big wardrobe room, " I don't know what to take. "

" Hey," Jack said softly, putting his hands on her shoulders, as he came to stand behind her. She stiffened a little but relaxed when he started to rub her shoulders lightly. She smiled at the way she was feeling so much stress after what had happened, but when Jack came along, he made it all go away. " Just take whatever seems right," he said, " and don't worry about it. There's plenty of shops - you like shopping . "

" Take whatever seems right? " she asked him.

He rubbed her shoulders, " Yeah. Take what you need and worry about the rest later. "

She turned around in his arms to face him, " Then I don't need anything," she told him, " ah, to hell with it. I just need you, and I've got you. I suppose it's a good opportunity to go shopping. "

" Your dad says we can go, if you're ready," he told her.

" I'm ready if you are," she said.

" Then let's go. "

She looked around her room and smiled at it, before slowly closing the doors. Jack took her hand, interlocking his fingers with hers as they walked back to the console room in a comfortable silence.

All she was taking with her was what was in her pockets at the time - very little. Just her mobile phone, TARDIS key, a few scraps of psychic paper and the laser spanner.

Lily pushed the doors open when they got there and Martha and the Doctor were stood around the console, chatting.

" Ready for the off? " the Doctor asked.

Lily looked at Jack and then back at her dad before nodding, " Yeah. Yeah we are. "

He pulled a lever and flicked a switch, working away at the controls, and Lily watched fondly. There was so much she was going to miss about living in the TARDIS and while she was sad to go, she was so excited about moving on - it had been sort of 200 years of phonebox travel, and now she could spend 200 years and more doing something else.

Lily relished in the flight and when they landed, she was a mix of nerves and excitement.

Jack left the TARDIS first, followed by Martha and the Doctor. Lily hovered by the console and patted it lightly, " I'm going away for a bit," she told the TARDIS, feeling a little stupid as she said it, " but I'll see you around. "

She smiled as the console glowed a little and made a faint whoosing noise, as if acknowledging her.

She nodded and then looked towards the door, telling herself this was it. A whole new life. She went outside and looked around the place - fresh start. Yeah, this would do fine, she told herself.

She saw Jack, Martha and the Doctor leaning against the railings - in almost exactly the same spot she and Jack had shared that first kiss. She joined them, coming to stand inbetween the two most important men in her life.

" Where it all started," she said, looking around," right Jack? "

He shrugged, " Where we kissed, at least. If you want to get technical about it, it started in World War Two. "

She nodded with a little smile and they all resolved to look around in silence, watching all the people go by. As more and more people passed, Martha let out a little noise.

" Hmm," she said, glancing at the Doctor and then around at the town, " time was, every single one of these people knew your name. Now they've all forgotten you. "

" Good," he replied simply.

" Back to work," Jack said, stuffing one hand into his pocket. He looked at the Doctor, " responsibilities, right? That team of mine - thought a lot about them in the last year. I've got responsibilites to them, and to my girl. "

" Defending the Earth," the Doctor nodded," and looking after my baby - can't argue with that. " He reached out as if he was going to shake Jack's hand, but he stopped and pulled the other man's sleeve back, exposing the vortex manipulator and setting his sonic screwdriver to work.

" Hey, I need that! " protested Jack, as Lily watched in amusement, stepping back as she was inbetween the two men.

" I don't think so," the Doctor said sternly, " I can't have you walking around with a time-travelling teleport. You could go anywhere. Twice. The second time to apologise. "

Lily pouted, " What, you don't trust me to keep an eye on Jack? "

" You can be almost as bad as him," scoffed the Doctor, releasing Jack's arm.

Lily smiled fondly at Jack and then looked at her dad. " This ... this is it," she said.

He took her into a warm, but brief hug," We said everything we had to say yesterday, right? You're gonna be fine now. I'll see you soon. You kep in touch, right? "

" I'll phone you soon," she said, " I love you. "

He kissed her cheek, " Love you too. "

Lily then looked at Martha and lingered before giving her a hug too, " Who'd have thought we'd end up being such good friends," she said, " travelling for world for 8 months must do that to people. " She laughed and hugged Martha tighter, the two of them laughing, " thanks for everything - you know, you really helped when I showed up in such a state, and you were there .... whatever happens, you keep in touch, yeah? "

Martha nodded, " Course I will," she said as they broke apart, " It was so much fun travelling with you. We've ... it's been great. And you keep an eye on this Captain, won't you? He could do anything otherwise. "

Lily laughed.

Jack looked around and then back at the Doctor, " And what about me? Can you fix that? Will I ever be able to die? "

" Nothing I can do," the Doctor said with a little shrug," you're an impossible thing, Jack. "

" Been called that before," he said with a little laugh, " But I keep wondering ... what about ageing? Cause I can't die, but I keep getting older. The odd little grey hair, you know? "

Lily smirked at him, " My poor darling," she teased, touching his arm.

" What happens if I live for a million years? " Jack asked, while swatting Lily's hand away with a little smile.

" I honestly don't know," the Doctor said with a shrug

.

Jack sighed, " Okay, vanity. Yeah, can't help it. Used to be a poster boy when I saw a kid, back on the Boeshane Peninsula. Tiny little place. I was the first one ever to be signed to the time agency. They were so proud of me. The Face of Boe they called me. "

Lily's jaw almost dropped.

" Well, we'll see you," Jack said, turning away, and taking a few steps.

Lily was amazed at all the things she didn't konw about Jack, and everything she had yet to find out - but he couldn't possibly be the Faace of Boe, could he?

" Seriously? " Martha asked, the three of them looking completey stunned as Jack started strolled across the plass, towards the water tower

" Can't be," the Doctor said, as Lily laughed at the thought of it.

" Hey, are you coming? " Jack called, turning around to face them again.

Lily grinned - this was it. Time to go. And it was going to be brilliant. She gave her dad and Martha as last grin before turning and running towards Jack, where he caught her easily at the waist, spun her around and set her on her feet again, with a grin. He leaned in and kissed her lips briefly - she grinned.

He slid his hand into hers and she grinned even wider as they started walking.

" So, the Face of Boe? " she asked him with a smile.

" That, my darling, is a story for another time," he shrugged, " and believe me, we've got plenty of time together. "

She nodded, " Happily ever after, right? "

***

**Author's Note: Last chapter there**

**The sequel will follow Jack and Lily throughout Series 2 of Torchwood ( not sure exactly which episodes yet ) and bits of Doctor who series 4 ( the Doctor's Daughter and Stolen Earth/Journey's end - not sure about anything else yet )**

**This will be posted in Torchwood/Doctor Who crossovers**

**I'll update this story with a note to say when the next story is up - not sure what it's going to be called yet, but it's going to be up soon.  
**


	21. Note

Note

**Thanks to everyone who's read or reviewed this, and taken the time to show an interest. **

**The sequel is up now and available from my profile - it's in the Torchwood/Doctor Who crossover category too. It's called **_**The Torchwood Adventures of the Doctor's Daughter. **_

**It starts in series 2 of Torchwood and will follow that series, as well as bits of Doctor Who series 4.**

**Hope everyone likes the next story as much as they've liked this one and the others, and as much as I enjoy writing them.**


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